The Epoch Timeshttp://www.theepochtimes.com
The Epoch Times is an independent voice in print and on the web. We report news responsibly and truthfully so that readers can improve their own lives and increase their understanding and respect for their neighbors next door and around the globe.Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:34:51 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1NYC Tackles Police-Community Relations Issueshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270696-nyc-tackles-police-community-relations-issues/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270696-nyc-tackles-police-community-relations-issues/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:30:25 +0000Associated Press]]>NEW YORK—Relations between New York City’s police department and communities of color, long at a simmer, boiled over last summer when an unarmed Eric Garner was captured on video screaming “I can’t breathe!” as he was placed in a fatal …]]>NEW YORK—Relations between New York City’s police department and communities of color, long at a simmer, boiled over last summer when an unarmed Eric Garner was captured on video screaming “I can’t breathe!” as he was placed in a fatal chokehold by an NYPD officer.

That moment led to months of protests, which multiplied and swept across the city following a grand jury decision not to indict the officer. In the weeks that followed, two police officers were killed by a gunman who had paid tribute to Garner on social media, and the rank-and-file police appeared to be in open revolt against Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Now, a tentative truce between the mayor and police unions has set in and the protests have died down. And while the underlying issues of the tension are at the heart of City Council hearings on the matter, there were no fireworks at the initial session Tuesday.

NYPD Initiatives

The NYPD outlined a series of pilot programs intended to demonstrate more police involvement in minority communities — not simply as enforcers of the law but as partners.

Precinct commanders have been attending services at local houses of worship to ally themselves with influential local ministers. Officers in several high-crime Brooklyn precincts have begun meeting with at-risk offenders and gang members to offer access to social services to prevent violence.

And four precincts — two in upper Manhattan, two in the Rockaways section of Queens — will be part of a new program in which certain officers dedicated to that precinct will spend one-third of their shift solely devoted to going street by street to form relationships in the community, NYPD officials testified.

Those officers, while on that assignment, will not respond to 911 calls.

“We believe that focusing on neighborhoods will reinvigorate community policing in the NYPD,” said Susan Herman, the police department’s Deputy Commissioner for Collaborative Policing, in the first council hearing on police matters since the grand jury decision in Garner’s death.

The idea, though largely applauded by council members, did raise concerns about inadequate staffing to respond to emergencies. Councilmember Steven Matteo, a Republican from Staten Island, suggested that the program pointed to the need to fulfill the council’s plan to hire 1,000 more officers, an idea not yet endorsed by de Blasio.

Police Commissioner William Bratton, who did not attend the hearing, has said the matter was part of ongoing budget talks.

Dialogue

The Public Safety Committee hearings will focus on improving the relations between police and communities of color, which have felt for years that they drew an inordinate amount of NYPD attention even as crime continued to fall. Many who lived in those sections of the city felt victimized by years of the police tactic known as stop-and-frisk, which allowed police to stop anyone believed acting suspicious.

The use of stop-and-frisk has fallen, but some lawmakers may ask about another police strategy known as “Broken Windows,” which emphasizes cracking down on low-level offenses as a means to prevent more serious crimes. Bratton is arguably the nation’s chief proponent of “Broken Windows” policing and his aides testified that the policy would not be disregarded.

In City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s State of the City address last month, she proposed creating a citywide bail fund to assist low-risk, nonviolent offenders pay small bail amounts, and the creation of a new Office of Civil Justice to make certain that low-income New Yorkers have access to legal representation. She also proposed that some low-level violations, like jumping a subway turnstile, should warrant only summonses or desk appearance tickets instead of time in jail, a punishment she said falls disproportionally on black and Latino men.

Elizabeth Glazer, de Blasio’s director of criminal justice, touted efforts to ease the penalty on young men — particularly for low-level marijuana possession — and stressed efforts to safeguard some violence-plagued public housing developments and keep the mentally ill away from the justice system.

“Many with behavioral health needs cycle through the system over and over again, even for low-level offenses,” said Glazer.

Other hearings are expected in the coming weeks and potential policy changes could be part of the ongoing budget negotiations between the mayor’s office and the council. A final budget must be passed by June 30.

According to MacRumors, the next smartphone, which have the codenames “N71″ and “N66,” will be marketed under the name iPhone 6S and not …

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More information about the next iPhone, presumably called iPhone 6S or iPhone 7, is trickling out.

According to MacRumors, the next smartphone, which have the codenames “N71″ and “N66,” will be marketed under the name iPhone 6S and not iPhone 7. The report said the phone will have Force Touch, which is a feature in the Apple Watch.

It adds, “Those familiar with existing prototypes say Apple’s current plans call for both the new 4.7-inch model (N71) and the 5.5-inch ‘iPhone 6s Plus’ (N66) to gain Force Touch, a capability Apple debuted with the Apple Watch when it was announced in September. Their arrival on the iPhone product line would come roughly one year later, falling in line with the company’s historical pattern of first debuting new cutting edge technology on one iOS device (iPhone) before extending it to another (iPad) the following year.”

Apple has described the Force Touch as the “most significant new sensing capability since Multi-Touch.”

It added that “people familiar with the ongoing development of N71 and N66 have also dismissed the notion of a two-camera system in the ‘iPhone 6s’ lineup, explaining that doing so would require a major redesign of the chassis of the handset.”

And the next-gen Apple smartphone could feature technology from rival Samsung.

Earlier this week, 9to5Mac reported that Apple signed a deal with Samsung to supply them with A9 processors for the phone

Samsung, another report from the Korea Times said, will also supply Apple with DRAMs for the iPhone 6S. Samsung will be responsible for at least half of the iPhone 6S DRAMs.

“Under the agreement, Samsung will start providing LG Electronics with 100 percent mobile DRAM chips it needs for LG G4 smartphone, which will be unveiled in April. Also, Samsung will handle at least half of the amount that Apple needs for its new iPhone ― tentatively named iPhone 6S,” an industry official was quoted by the Korea Times as saying.

According to MacRumors, the next iPhone will heavily developed after the spring months. The report said Apple is currently in the process of finalizing components for its next phone.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270605-iphone-7-iphone-6s-weekly-rumors-release-date-force-touch/feed/0NBA Free Agents: Top Players Available for Playoff-Bound Teamshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270592-nba-free-agents-top-players-available-for-playoff-bound-teams/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270592-nba-free-agents-top-players-available-for-playoff-bound-teams/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:18:01 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>A number of players are starting to head back from China, where they’ve been playing for the last several months, while others who got bought out from NBA teams are available for other teams to pick up.

Many playoff-bound squads …

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A number of players are starting to head back from China, where they’ve been playing for the last several months, while others who got bought out from NBA teams are available for other teams to pick up.

Many playoff-bound squads or those in contention are looking for a player to bolster their roster, including the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, and Dallas Mavericks.

Multiple players have already ended up on new teams, including Amare Stoudemire, John Lucas III, and Michael Beasley. Even some teams not in playoff contention, such as the Knicks, are looking for young players they can “try out” for next season.

Check out the top players still available below.

Guards and Swingmen

Will Bynum

The combo guard can play point or shooting guard, and is coming off an impressive season in China. Bynum operated Guangdong’s offense, averaging 22.9 points per game and 7.3 assists per game.

“A hugely experienced pick and roll operator, Bynum can also open up space for a shot thanks to his lethal crossover,” noted Andrew Crawford of Sheridan Hoops.

Dominique Jones

Another combo guard who had an outstanding individual season in China, the 26-year-old led the league in assists with 8.2 a game and finished third in scoring at 37.9 points per game.

Jones’ biggest weakness is likely his three-point shot. But he does have previous NBA experience, last playing for the Mavericks in 2012.

Justin Dentmon

The 29-year-old point guard is possibly the best three-point shooter available on the market, provided Ray Allen doesn’t suit up. “An experienced shoot-first point guard, Dentmon’s biggest skill is being able to pull up and sink the three-point shot over and over again,” Crawford said.

Dentmon just finished his season in China and has spent time in the NBA and D-League, including for the Dallas Mavericks in spring 2013.

Justin Dentmon, right, playing in Europe in March 2014. The sharpshooter could be signed by an NBA team after a good season in China. (AFP/Getty Images)

Brady Heslip

If teams want someone younger who also has a nice stroke, they can target the 24-year-old Canadian. Heslip spent time in the D-League earlier this season, before signing with Igokea of the Adriatic League.

With the team, he won the Bosnian Cup–and was named MVP of the final game. after scoring 26 points.

Doron Lamb

Lamb, with a career 39 percentage from 3-point range in 100 games in the NBA, could be the most attractive option for teams looking for a shooter. Lamb, 23, was chosen in the second round of the 2012 draft but hasn’t been able to catch on with a team.

He currently plays for the Westchester Knicks in the D-League.

Ray Allen

No one knows for sure whether Allen is going to retire or suit up this season, but as time goes on it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the 38-year-old will play.

Allen has attracted wide interest, including from the Wizards, Warriors, and Clippers.

Forwards and Centers

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jeff Adrien tries to grab a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Jeff Adrien

Another player whose China season recently ended, Adrien received uneven playing time there but still notched 13.6 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game.

Adrien, 29, is “a possible signing for teams seeking an athletic frontcourt addition,” noted Shams Charania of RealGM, who noted that Adrien is back in the United States. Adrien played for the Timberwolves and Rockets last season.

Jeremy Tyler

The 24-year-old big man notched 22.1 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game in China.

“Physically stronger than almost anyone else in the league, Tyler could get his points down low, but he also helped Shanxi clean up on defense and was rebounding at a fairly regular pace,” noted Crawford. “The American, still only 24, could be an interesting project for several NBA teams.”

JaVale McGee

Fresh off being waived by the 76ers, the 27-year-old underperformer could get yet another shot from another team as seven-footers who can play good basketball are rare. McGee still has good games sometimes despite being underwhelming most of the time.

McGee would likely take a low salary considering the waive, as opposed to a buyout, left his huge contract intact in terms of money. Marc Stein of ESPN says that McGee will clear waivers on Wednesday but won’t rush choice on next team. “Mavs ‘seriously interested’ in JaVale McGee but word is list of interested teams stretches well beyond Dallas,” he added.

Andray Blatche

Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of free agency so far this midseason is that Blatche hasn’t landed with a team. The 28-year-old was a solid contributor with the Nets last season, averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22 minutes a game. He also played pretty good in the playoffs.

Blatche has been linked to the Nets, and could end up back in Brooklyn, though the team has been playing small lately.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270592-nba-free-agents-top-players-available-for-playoff-bound-teams/feed/0Why Google’s New Wireless Service Isn’t a Threat to Verizonhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270320-google-wireless-no-threat-verizon/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270320-google-wireless-no-threat-verizon/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:58:27 +0000Jonathan Zhou, Epoch Times]]>Last month, Silicon Valley spectators looking for a tech war between Uber and Google were sorely disappointed when the latter clarified that it was developing a ride-share app for its own employees, not the general public, and they are about …]]>

Last month, Silicon Valley spectators looking for a tech war between Uber and Google were sorely disappointed when the latter clarified that it was developing a ride-share app for its own employees, not the general public, and they are about to be disappointed once again.

On Monday, Google announced that it was developing its own wireless service, unleashing speculations that a brawl was in the making between the search-engine company and wireless internet giants like Verizon and AT&T.

Yet a Google executive had said that the company’s goal was to drive innovation, not compete with other wireless conglomerates, and none of the company’s recent actions suggest otherwise.

Most telling was Google’s decision in January to sit out of the FCC’s historic auction of $41.3 billion in wireless spectrum rights, when Verizon and AT&T had together spent more than $28 billion.

If Google was serious about going into the wireless business, it would have only needed to spend a small fraction of its towering cash pile, which is estimated to reach $100 billion by the end of 2016. It chose not to.

Instead, the company will partner with Sprint and T-Mobile to resell the latter’s wireless services under Google’s brand, an arrangement that gives the wireless incumbents the controlling hand. Google’s contract with Sprint, for instance, has a poison-pill clause that would trigger a renegotiation of the partnership if Google’s customer-base grows beyond a certain limit.

Reluctant to Invest

Indeed, the company has been upbraided for not doing more with its capital. In a talk with Eric Schmidt in 2014, venture capitalist Peter Thiel said that Google was “no longer a technology company” because most of its revenue comes from its technologically stagnant search engine.

“If we’re living in an accelerating technological world, and you have zero percent interest rates in the background, you should be able to invest all of your money in things that will return it many times over,” Thiel said, noting that Google’s decision to let their capital accrue interest was a sign that “you’re out of ideas, maybe it’s a political problem, the government has outlawed things. But, it still is a problem.”

Ironically, Google’s aversion to competition, which explains much of its cash stockpile, is perfectly in line with Thiel’s own business philosophy. In his book on entrepreneurship, Zero to One, Thiel said that much of the competition in capitalism was in fact wasteful, and that smart companies should invest to build monopolies.

Thiel recounts how his time at PayPay in the late 90s, when the company was a start-up that was competing for dominance of the web payment market with X.com, then headed by Elon Musk, taught him the deleterious effects of competition first-hand.

“Many of us at PayPal logged 100-hour workweeks. No doubt that was counterproductive, but the focus wasn’t on objective productivity; the focus was defeating X.com,” he wrote. “One of our engineers actually designed a bomb for this purpose.”

Much of the competition in capitalism was in fact wasteful, and that smart companies should invest to build monopolies.

Today, the tech industry is seeing a similarly fight between Uber and Lyft, where negative-sum practices like PR campaigns and poaching the other side’s drivers are the main instruments of competition.

Google has studiously avoided avoided costly competition in recent years, and it’s difficult to see why it would break the pattern here.

Ventures like Google Glasses and autonomous cars are areas where Google began so early that a monopolistic edge is conceivable. The wireless industry, on the other hand, is already a well established market, one where Google would not likely seriously try to compete.

But purveyors of a gladiatorial tech industry shouldn’t lose hope yet. Facebook’s effective monopoly on social networks means that it too has plenty of cash to throw around, and its purchase of Oculus VR demonstrates a taste for eccentric investment that matches Google’s.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270320-google-wireless-no-threat-verizon/feed/010 Do’s and Don’ts of Gym Etiquettehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1263285-10-dos-and-donts-of-gym-etiquette/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1263285-10-dos-and-donts-of-gym-etiquette/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:36:31 +0000Katy Hajzer]]>Joining a gym is the first step to taking charge of your physical fitness, but working out in a public facility can be an intimidating experience for many.

Here are a few tips to help you fit in to the …

]]>Joining a gym is the first step to taking charge of your physical fitness, but working out in a public facility can be an intimidating experience for many.

Here are a few tips to help you fit in to the gym culture and make new friends along the way.

Do: Bring a Water Bottle. Skip having to run to the water fountain every 5 minutes and bring a nice bottle of water with you instead—preferably one that won’t spill if it falls over. Staying hydrated is super important while you are working out.

Do: Bring a Towel. If your gym doesn’t provide clean towels, be sure to bring your own. Wiping off your sweat during the workout will help you feel clean and refreshed.

Do: Wear Appropriate Clothing. Pick attire that you are comfortable in, but make a point of covering some skin. Regardless of whether you have a six-pack or paunch, don’t show your stomach. Ladies, be sure to wear a supportive sports bra. And men, please wear a shirt.

Do: Wear the Right Shoes. I used to wear running sneakers with soft, high cushions, no matter what workout I was doing. Then, a fellow weight lifter pointed out that if I were to wear flat shoes, I could have better contact with the ground and lift more weight. Converse shoes and flat Pumas are great for lifting, and you can run in them, too.

Do: Wipe Off Equipment. Use a paper towel to wipe off each piece of equipment when you are done with your set. Your fellow gym goers will thank you. Plus, you’ll inspire them to do the same.

Think of other people and pay it forward.

Do: Put the Weights Back. If I had a nickel for every time I had to put someone else’s weights back in the proper place, I could buy my own gym. Returning the weights to the rack when you are done with your set will win you nods of gratitude, so think of other people and pay it forward.

Do: Ask Questions. The only way to learn is to ask questions. So, if you’re unsure of how to use a machine or how to perform a move, don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. Remember, everyone started somewhere, and staff and trainers are there to assist you.

Don’t: Distract People During Their Set. Refrain from starting a conversation when people are in the middle of their set. Some people may be carrying twice or even three times their weight on their shoulders, and they could get seriously injured if you distract them. If you want to ask a seasoned gym-goer a question, wait until he or she is at rest. People love to pass on their wisdom. Just don’t take up too much of their time.

Don’t: Hog Multiple Machines or Weights. Circuit training is a viable option for working out, but not when you’re at the gym at peak hours and other people are waiting their turn. If you haven’t used the equipment in the past few minutes and you’re not standing by it, it’s fair game for all.

Don’t: Give Unsolicited Advice. You don’t know everyone’s situation. Maybe quarter squats are all they can do right now, or maybe they are doing some fancy version of barbell rows that you don’t know about. To save everyone unnecessary embarrassment, keep your comments to yourself—unless you see that injury is definitely going to happen, and soon.

Finally, don’t worry about anyone else judging you—because the fact is, they’re probably not. Most people relish having some “me” time at the gym, which means they are probably too wrapped up in their own thoughts to notice much about you.

So, hold your head up high and be proud of yourself for sticking to your fitness routine.

Katy Hajzer is a freelance health and wellness writer with a passion for fitness and nutrition. Visit her blog at www.lifteatlovesleep.com

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1263285-10-dos-and-donts-of-gym-etiquette/feed/0Communist Party Holds Annual Political Season in Capitalhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270602-communist-party-holds-annual-political-season-in-capital/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270602-communist-party-holds-annual-political-season-in-capital/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:33:55 +0000Lu Chen, Epoch Times]]>Beijing began hosting the Chinese Communist Party’s so-called “Two Sessions” on March 3, the political meetings held by two of the Party’s auxiliary organs: the National People’s Congress, a kind of faux legislature, and the awkwardly-titled Chinese People’s Political Consultative …]]>

Beijing began hosting the Chinese Communist Party’s so-called “Two Sessions” on March 3, the political meetings held by two of the Party’s auxiliary organs: the National People’s Congress, a kind of faux legislature, and the awkwardly-titled Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress, which is supposed to provide sage input into Party policies.

All the regime’s leaders attended the opening session of the CPPCC at 3 p.m. in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, including Xi Jinping, the Party boss, premier Li Keqiang, and other members of the Politburo. Over 2,100 members of the advisory body later held their annual meeting.

The focus of the events this year was to continue “in-depth reform,” promoting the rule of law (with the Party in charge, of course), and “strengthening socialist democratic politics,” according to Yu Zhengsheng, the chairman of the advisory body. The bland political slogans are somewhat covered by the title “The Four Comprehensives,” which attempt to give a more meaningful aura to what are fairly pedestrian policy goals.

Yu declared in the CPPCC’s work report that China is going to “continue the anti-corruption campaign unswervingly,” in order to build a clean and honest Party and government. State-run media outlets gravely pointed out that it was the first time in 20 years that the chairman of the Conference has explicitly spoken of anti-corruption in such a work report.

Indeed, the anti-corruption campaign (also known as a political purge) led by Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping has removed a huge number of extremely powerful officials in the past two years, and has reshaped and recentralized the Chinese political system in a manner that many observers considered impossible as recently as 2012.

The anti-corruption storm seems to be blowing only stronger this year with even higher level officials possibly being targeted. On a press conference on March 2, the spokesperson of the CPPCC Lu Xinhua told Chinese media that no one is excluded from the campaign.

“We deeply believe that no one will escape, no matter what kind of tiger they are,” Lu said, echoing remarks by Xi Jinping which provided “tiger” as a metaphor for high level officials and “fly” for lower level ones.

Combined with the CPPCC session, the opening of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party will open on March 5; the two sessions will be wrapped up by March 13, according to the state-run Xinhua.

Despite the attempts at relentless good news by the political authorities, Chinese people from around the country still streamed into Beijing to voice their complaints against the Communist Party.

It’s a scene almost as established as the meetings themselves: a huge number of Chinese petitioners took the yearly political event as a chance to express their grievances, unsolved through China’s petitioning or legal system. These complaints usually relate to the entrenched corruption of local level officials, who forcibly demolish houses while acquiring land to sell to real estate developers.

Around 5,000 petitioners from around China on Monday gathered in protest in front of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, which handles citizen complaints, according to 64tianwang.com, a civil human rights information website. That number is likely a fraction of the total number that is expected to have flooded into Beijing to lodge their complaints during the current period. Many more were intercepted and sent home by police, while others were placed under house arrest and couldn’t even get on the train.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270602-communist-party-holds-annual-political-season-in-capital/feed/0Can Meditation Bring Relief to Sleepy Seniors?http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270590-can-meditation-bring-relief-to-sleepy-seniors/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270590-can-meditation-bring-relief-to-sleepy-seniors/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:25:17 +0000University of Southern California]]>Half of adults older than 55 have trouble getting to or staying asleep. Researchers were surprised to discover the best way for them to get some much needed shut-eye.

In a randomized clinical trial of 49 older adults, seniors got …

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Half of adults older than 55 have trouble getting to or staying asleep. Researchers were surprised to discover the best way for them to get some much needed shut-eye.

In a randomized clinical trial of 49 older adults, seniors got more relief from a mindfulness meditation program than a sleep hygiene education program that teaches sleep improvement skills.

The findings suggest that focusing attention and awareness on the present moment without judgment or reacting to thoughts—as taught through mindfulness meditation—has positive effects not just on sleep but on daytime fatigue and depression, two conditions that often result from poor sleep.

Mindfulness meditation appears to have clinical importance by serving to reduce sleep problems among the growing population of older adults, and this effect on sleep appears to carry over into reducing daytime fatigue and depression symptoms., assistant professor, University of Southern California — David S. Black

Daytime Fatigue

“We were surprised to find that the effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality was large and above and beyond the effect of the sleep hygiene education program,” says David S. Black, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. “Mindfulness meditation appears to have clinical importance by serving to reduce sleep problems among the growing population of older adults, and this effect on sleep appears to carry over into reducing daytime fatigue and depression symptoms.”

Fifty percent of adults over the age of 55 will experience sleep disturbances, which include trouble falling asleep and waking in the middle of the night.

Sleep needs of older adults don’t diminish with age, according to the National Sleep Foundation, and many older adults report dissatisfaction with their sleep and tiredness during the day.

For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers compared two structured conditions: the Mindful Awareness Practice (MAPs) program at University of California, Los Angeles, a six-week, two-hour-a week program introducing mindfulness meditation to participants, and a sleep hygiene program providing improvement strategies such as relaxation before bedtime, monitoring sleep behavior, and not eating before sleeping.

The research was conducted via self-reported surveys.

Future research will focus on combining mindfulness meditation with a sleep hygiene program to determine the usefulness of meshing aspects of both programs.

The National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the UCLA Older Americans Independence Center, the Cousins Center for Psychimmunotherapy at UCLA, the Pettit Family Foundation and the Furlotti Family Foundation funded the study. Researchers from UCLA contributed to the work.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270590-can-meditation-bring-relief-to-sleepy-seniors/feed/0Idaho Sheriff: Concealed Carry Permit = Second Amendmenthttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270478-idaho-sheriff-concealed-carry-permit-second-amendment/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270478-idaho-sheriff-concealed-carry-permit-second-amendment/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:20:29 +0000Jack Phillips, Epoch Times]]>An Idaho sheriff has said the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is essentially a permit that acts a concealed carry permit.

Idaho currently is one of the states looking to repeal the requirement that people need a permit to …

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An Idaho sheriff has said the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is essentially a permit that acts a concealed carry permit.

Idaho currently is one of the states looking to repeal the requirement that people need a permit to carry a gun in public. State lawmakers introduced a bill in the Idaho House on Feb. 5, which essentially says gun owners don’t need a concealed carry permit.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler supports the measure.

“The right to bear arms is already in the constitution and I think it makes it consistent with our federal statutes,” Wheeler told KHQ-TV, an NBC affiliate. He added that about 700 people per year apply for concealed carry permits, and he said that less than 5 percent are denied.

“If you’re a criminal you’re not going to go and follow through and get a concealed weapons permit,” Wheeler said. “If you’re going to commit a crime then you’re just going to commit a crime.”

He elaborated that it wouldn’t affect day-to-day police operations. “Any stop we initiate, we ask if they have a weapon,” said Wheeler. “Somebody having a concealed weapons permit is not going to prohibit or change our tactics. And if they aren’t suppose to have that weapon, we’ll find out when we run them through our computers.”

In eastern Idaho, Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen and Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand came out against the bill last month, saying it will make the jobs of law enforcement officers tougher.

Currently, Idaho residents who want to carry a concealed weapon need to get a permit. There are two types of permits available in Idaho, one of which requires training and is recognized as valid in some other states.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270478-idaho-sheriff-concealed-carry-permit-second-amendment/feed/0Could NYC Rats Be a Harbor for the Plague?http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270581-could-nyc-rats-be-a-harbor-for-the-plague/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270581-could-nyc-rats-be-a-harbor-for-the-plague/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:10:24 +0000Cornell University]]>Rats in New York City carry a species of flea that is capable of transmitting plague pathogens.

For a new study, researchers collected more than 6,500 specimens of five well-known species of fleas, lice, and mites from 133 rats. Among …

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Rats in New York City carry a species of flea that is capable of transmitting plague pathogens.

For a new study, researchers collected more than 6,500 specimens of five well-known species of fleas, lice, and mites from 133 rats. Among them they found more than 500 Oriental rat fleas, notorious for their role in the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death.

Researchers wanted to look most closely at the rat flea because of its potential as a vector for human disease, says Matthew Frye, an urban entomologist with Cornell University’s New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program: “If these rats carry fleas that could transmit the plague to people, then the pathogen itself is the only piece missing from the transmission cycle.”

Prairie Dogs and Squirrels

Where is the plague found these days? In the United States, it’s found in the American Southwest among ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and the fleas they harbor, infecting roughly 10 people each year. In other parts of the world, the incidence of plague is higher.

The study’s results suggest that public health officials closely monitor city rats and the fleas that call them home.

The plague isn’t the only disease of concern. Coauthor Cadhla Firth, a research scientist at Columbia University’s Center for Infection and Immunity, used molecular screening methods to look for two other pathogenic bacteria the Oriental rat flea could vector: Rickettsia (which they didn’t find) and several species of Bartonella.

Food and Shelter

The study’s results, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, suggest that public health officials closely monitor city rats and the fleas that call them home. But everyone can contribute, Frye says, by implementing practices recommended by Integrated Pest Management.

“Removing food and water and preventing access to shelter are key to knocking back rodent infestations,” he says.

But evicting rats from homes and workplaces doesn’t go far enough. Sanitation efforts that rid building of fleas, lice, and mice is critical. “It’s not that these parasites can infest our bodies,” Frye says, “but they can feed on us while seeking other rats to infest.”

In research published in 2014 in the journal mBio, scientists noted a disturbing number of viral and bacterial diseases that those same 133 rats carried. Some were unknown until now, including a handful that could infect humans.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270581-could-nyc-rats-be-a-harbor-for-the-plague/feed/0US Commander: Arming Ukraine Increases Pressure on Putinhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270534-us-commander-arming-ukraine-increases-pressure-on-putin/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270534-us-commander-arming-ukraine-increases-pressure-on-putin/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:59:39 +0000Associated Press]]>BERLIN—There’s no expectation Ukraine could defeat Russia militarily if given American weapons, but they could add “muscle” to diplomatic efforts, the commander of U.S. Army Europe said Tuesday.

While emphasizing the U.S. still seeks a diplomatic solution to the crisis, …

]]>BERLIN—There’s no expectation Ukraine could defeat Russia militarily if given American weapons, but they could add “muscle” to diplomatic efforts, the commander of U.S. Army Europe said Tuesday.

When mothers start seeing sons come home dead, when that price goes up, then that domestic support begins to shrink.— Ben Hodges, Lt. Gen

While emphasizing the U.S. still seeks a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said in Berlin that helping Ukraine with weapons would increase the stakes for Russian President Vladimir Putin at home.

“When mothers start seeing sons come home dead, when that price goes up, then that domestic support begins to shrink,” he said.

The Obama administration is still considering whether to provide lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that such a move might encourage Russia to further escalate its involvement there.

Ukraine and the West accuse Moscow of helping the rebels in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons; accusations Moscow denies.

Hodges did not specify what weapons could be offered, but said that what Ukraine wants “is intelligence, counter fire capability and something that can stop a Russian tank.”

“If you don’t have something that gives muscle to the diplomacy, to the economic aspect, then it’s not going to be as effective,” he said.

The Russia-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine flared up in April following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Hodges estimated that Russia now has 29,000 troops in Crimea and 12,000 in eastern Ukraine.

For the time being, he said separate American plans to train three Ukrainian battalions had been put on hold to see if a cease-fire deal forged last month in the Belarusian capital Minsk will be fully implemented.

As part of a new NATO rapid reaction force in response to Russian actions in Ukraine, he said the U.S. had decided to bring a brigade of armored vehicles back to Europe consisting of some 220 tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles.

He said he was recommending they be pre-positioned in locations in the Baltics, eastern Europe and Germany so that they would be available for quick use if needed. That recommendation still needs approval.

D’Antoni, 63, coached the Nuggets back in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, but was fired after the season. He went on to coach the famed …

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Former NBA coach Mike D’Antoni is reportedly interested in the now-open Denver Nuggets head coaching position.

D’Antoni, 63, coached the Nuggets back in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, but was fired after the season. He went on to coach the famed Phoenix Suns squad that featured Steve Nash at the helm before moving on to the New York Knicks in 2008. After resigning late in the 2011-12 season, he landed at the Lakers.

Los Angeles didn’t do well under D’Antoni, and he eventually resigned.

D’Antoni recently told Bleacher Report that he’d be interested in coaching again. “There is nothing that motivates me more than being with a group of guys in the coaching room of an organization trying to figure out un-solveable problems,” he said.

He said that there’s nothing like coaching in the NBA. “It’s intoxicating,” he said. “You get an enormous high … makes you feel exhilarated.”

Two sources told ESPN earlier this year that if Brian Shaw was fired, D’Antoni would be the top likely replacement. D’Antoni coached several current Nuggets players, including Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, back in New York.

Coaching sources say Nuggets will take a long-term view on finding replacement for B-Shaw, but there are a couple key names to watch already

Taser International, the stun-gun maker emerging as a leading supplier of body cameras, has cultivated financial ties to police chiefs whose departments have bought the recording devices, raising conflict-of-interest questions.

Someone should give me a raise.”— A Texas police chief to a Taser representative in an email

Taser is covering airfare and hotels for police chiefs who speak at promotional conferences and is hiring recently retired chiefs as consultants, sometimes months after their cities signed contracts with the company. Taser is planning to send two to speak in Australia and the United Arab Emirates in March at events during which they will address potential customers.

The relationships raise questions about whether chiefs are acting objectively in their dealings with Taser, whose contracts for cameras and video storage can cost millions.

As the police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, pushed for signing a contract with Taser before a company quarterly sales deadline, he wrote a Taser representative in an email, “Someone should give me a raise.”

Push for Body Cameras

The market for wearable cameras for police that can record arrests and shootings has been growing fast since the killing last August of 18-year-old Michael Brown by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Supporters say the cameras reduce tensions between officers and the communities they serve.

City officials and rival companies are raising concerns about police chiefs’ ties to Taser as it profits from the boom.

“Department heads need to be very careful to avoid that type of appearance of an endorsement in a for-profit setting,” said Salt Lake City councilman Charlie Luke.

He said he was surprised when he learned last year that the city’s police department had purchased Taser cameras using surplus money, bypassing the standard bidding process and City Council approval.

The department declined to say how much it has spent acquiring 295 body cameras and Taser’s Evidence.com video storage program and has not responded to a month-old public records request.

The city’s police chief, Chris Burbank, said that his relationship with Taser is appropriate but understands how others might see favoritism. He recently recorded a company promotional video in which he praised Evidence.com.

Burbank said he does not receive speaking fees and believes he hasn’t violated a city code prohibiting paid product endorsements on public time. He said he accepts Taser’s speaking invitations to promote best practices for body cameras.

Competition

A Taser spokesman said the company has no control over how cities decide to award contracts and that its products have unique features. Taser says early adopters of technology are the best ones to discuss its benefits and share their experiences with colleagues.

“This is a pretty normal practice for police chiefs and other recently retired individuals to speak on behalf of the industry,” Taser spokesman Luke Larson said.

Taser’s competitors complain they have been shut out by cities awarding no-bid contracts and sometimes feel disadvantaged when allowed to compete.

“Every time I do a presentation, as I’m standing there looking through the room, I wonder, ‘Who is tainted by Taser?'” said Peter Onruang, president of Wolfcom Enterprises, a California body camera maker.

Taser’s relationship with the chief in Albuquerque, New Mexico, prompted an investigation by the city’s inspector general.

City Council members demanded the inquiry after learning that Chief Ray Schultz, who supported the $1.9 million contract, became a company consultant after stepping down. A U.S. Justice Department investigation criticized Albuquerque’s rollout of the body cameras, saying it had been too hasty.

Today, Schultz speaks in an online promotional video about Albuquerque’s experience with Evidence.com. Although he’s recently been hired as assistant chief in the Houston suburb of Memorial Villages, Schultz said he will be paid by Taser to speak at the international conferences in March.

Former New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas confirmed he signed a Taser consulting agreement after his August retirement and has spoken at company-sponsored events. Serpas said it did not violate a state ethics law because he’s not lobbying his former employer, adding he wasn’t on the committee that recommended Taser for a $1.4 million contract.

In Fort Worth, then-Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead was seeking 400 more body cameras for officers last year. Taser promised a discount if the deal could be approved before the end of the company’s sales quarter, emails show.

“Close of the month? I do not wear a cape or have x-ray vision you know,” Halstead wrote a Taser representative.

Over the next three weeks, Halstead pushed the city to approve a no-bid contract worth up to $2.7 million. In the following months, Taser had Halstead speak at events in cities such as Phoenix, Miami and Boston.

Halstead, who retired from Fort Worth in January, said he hopes to become a Taser consultant soon.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270535-body-camera-maker-has-financial-ties-to-police-chiefs/feed/0Congress Passes Homeland Security Funding Bill Without Immigration Conditionshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270495-congress-passes-homeland-security-funding-bill-without-immigration-conditions/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270495-congress-passes-homeland-security-funding-bill-without-immigration-conditions/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:48:34 +0000Associated Press]]>WASHINGTON—Bitterly admitting defeat, House Republicans on Tuesday abandoned their attempts to use the Homeland Security Department’s spending bill to force concessions from President Barack Obama on immigration, and sent him legislation to fund the agency through the end of the …]]>

WASHINGTON—Bitterly admitting defeat, House Republicans on Tuesday abandoned their attempts to use the Homeland Security Department’s spending bill to force concessions from President Barack Obama on immigration, and sent him legislation to fund the agency through the end of the budget year with no strings attached.

“Sanity is prevailing,” said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, before the House voted 257-167 in favor of the $40 billion spending bill, which Obama was expected to sign promptly. Minority Democrats provided the bulk of the “yes” votes.

The outcome averted a partial agency shutdown which would have begun Friday at midnight. It was a major victory for Obama and the Democrats, and a wholesale retreat for Republicans, who have spent months railing against an “unconstitutional overreach” by Obama in extending deportation stays and work permits to millions of immigrants in this country illegally.

In the end Republicans who’d tried to use the DHS spending bill to undo Obama’s actions had little to show but weeks of gridlock and chaotic spectacle on Capitol Hill in the wake of assuming full control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

The turmoil brought the Homeland Security Department to within hours of a partial shutdown last Friday before Congress passed a one-week extension, and raised questions about Republicans’ ability to govern responsibly.

On Tuesday morning, addressing an uncharacteristically subdued gathering of House Republicans, Speaker John Boehner indicated he was out of options.

“I am as outraged and frustrated as you at the lawless and unconstitutional actions of this president,” Boehner told his caucus. “I believe this decision — considering where we are — is the right one for this team, and the right one for this country.”

“Our Republican colleagues in the Senate never found a way to win this fight,” he said, noting that the matter is now in the courts. A federal judge last month put Obama’s directives on hold, a ruling the White House is appealing.

Conservative lawmakers who humiliated Boehner last week by voting down a three-week spending bill he proposed did not speak up in the private meeting to dissent or ask questions, people present said.

Afterward, they said they were disappointed but had no more moves to make.

“I don’t know that there is one,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. “This is the signal of capitulation.”

The measure passed Tuesday funds the Homeland Security Department through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year. It pays for numerous priorities including Transportation Security agents, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, a host of immigration-related functions and grants to local governments.

There have been suggestions that Boehner would face an insurrection by tea party-backed conservatives if he brought a “clean” DHS bill to the floor. But Boehner’s opponents seemed resigned, and there was little sign of a brewing coup.

Indeed, several Republicans said Tuesday that the outcome was inevitable. Many had campaigned for re-election last fall on promises to stop Obama on immigration, and cheered when Boehner promised to fight the president’s moves “tooth and nail.” Yet several acknowledged they never had a viable plan to do so, given Obama’s veto pen and Senate Democrats’ opposition.

The GOP strategy was especially risky given the Homeland Security Department’s anti-terrorism responsibilities, which gave Democrats an opening to accuse Republicans of putting national security at risk.

“We all knew how this was going to end,” said Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa. “If somebody wants to make an argument against those of us who are doing our duty and governing responsibly, they can feel free to have the argument. We are prepared to defend ourselves and I believe the Speaker will come out of this just fine.”

The drama unfolded as a lesson in the limits of divided government.

The fight was set up last fall, when Boehner and GOP leaders convinced House conservatives to wait until this year to try to oppose Obama on immigration, until the GOP commanded control of the Senate and bigger majorities in the House.

Congress passed a full-year spending bill for the rest of the government, but kept the Homeland Security Department on a short leash to use its spending bill as the vehicle to oppose Obama.

Republicans predicted that the handful of Senate Democrats who’d voiced concerns about Obama’s immigration actions would join them. But the DHS spending bill the House passed in January was yanked to the right by conservatives, undoing not only Obama’s most recent executive actions but an earlier directive, from 2012, that extended protections to immigrants brought illegally to the country as kids.

That helped unify Democrats against it, and Senate rules did the rest. Republicans command only 54 votes in the chamber, not the 60 needed to advance most legislation, and Senate Democrats blocked the House bill repeatedly.

In the end, the House contingent that opposed Boehner had little to do but bemoan what had become a foregone conclusion. As the drama neared its conclusion Tuesday they offered a few final procedural moves — forcing the reading clerk to read part of the bill out loud, and offering a motion to table — but they had no hope of prevailing.

“I believe this is a sad day for America,” said Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., one of the hardliners. “If we’re not going to fight now, when are we going to fight?”

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270495-congress-passes-homeland-security-funding-bill-without-immigration-conditions/feed/0Fernando Alonso Sidelined for F1 Australian GP After Concussion in Testinghttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270533-fernando-alonso-sidelined-for-f1-australian-gp-after-concussion-in-testing/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270533-fernando-alonso-sidelined-for-f1-australian-gp-after-concussion-in-testing/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:45:34 +0000Chris Jasurek, Epoch Times]]>Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will sit out the first race of the 2015 season after sustaining a concussion in a crash during testing at Barcelona, Spain in on February 22.

The former Ferrari and McLaren driver, now …

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Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will sit out the first race of the 2015 season after sustaining a concussion in a crash during testing at Barcelona, Spain in on February 22.

The former Ferrari and McLaren driver, now back with McLaren, went into a wall at high speed and was knocked unconscious. He spent three days in the hospital

Alonso’s doctors have pronounced the 33-year-old Spanish driver as entirely fit and healthy, but warned that another such impact within a few weeks of the first could have serious implications. The doctors therefore recommended that the driver sit out the season-opening Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 15.

Alonso will be replaced by McLaren back-up driver Kevin Magnussen for the Australian Grand Prix, but should be back behind the wheel for the second race of the season, the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 29.

The 58-year-old executive’s frankness isn’t surprising considering Popeye’s turnaround during her tenure represents a vindication of sorts. In her upcoming book, Bachelder recounts a low point in her career when she was serving as president of KFC and her boss suggested it was time for her to go.

“In other words, I got fired. Few things are as clarifying as losing your job. My confidence was shaken,” she writes.

After leaving KFC in 2003, she said she decided to spend her “retirement” serving on boards, including for the parent company of Popeye’s. She got another shot at proving herself in late 2007, when the struggling chain tapped her as its next chief executive.

Since then, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen has been playing up its regional identity and remodeling stores to be more inviting. Sales at established U.S. restaurants have climbed in each of the past six years and the domestic store count has expanded to 1,870, up from about 1,580 in 2007.

Here’s what Bachelder had to say about Popeye’s and the industry in an interview with The Associated Press.

Associated Press: How does Popeye’s chicken differ from Chick-fil-A and KFC?

Cheryl Bachelder: The first thing you notice about Popeye’s is the marinade. It’s a real reddish, orange color. It sticks to the chicken, you see it all through the chicken, and that’s where the flavor is. And our chicken is dipped in an egg-and-flour batter before it’s fried. That gives it a really crisp texture. There’s more of (the batter) and it’s crisper.

I’m not knocking (Chick-fil-A)—they’re great competitors. But their product is very plain vanilla. Who else did you say? KFC? Oh, them (laughs).

Their Original Recipe is deep fried in a pressure cooker, so it’s got a soft coating on it, and today’s customer likes a crisper coating. And the seasoning is basically just kind of a pepper flavor, so it doesn’t really have the complex flavors we have.

(Representatives for Chick-fil-A and KFC declined to respond).

AP: What was the state of Popeye’s when you became CEO?

Ms. Bachelder: The company was 35 years old, so it was well-established and had a strong footprint. But it was tired, not relevant, and not talking to its customers like it should.

We did a huge turnaround that launched in the fall of 2008. As you may remember, the fall of 2008 was an unusual time to invest heavily in your business, so we were either crazy or brave. I choose to think we were brave.

Our market share is up 50 percent from that date.

AP: It used to be Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits. Why did you change the name to Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen?

Bachelder: The brand is from Louisiana, so it’s true. Our founder created these recipes out of the Cajun and Creole heritage of that state. It’s the most interesting American food there is, and we’re an international brand so it exports really well too.

It’s a much stronger identity.

AP: How has Popeye’s food changed with the revamp?

Bachelder: We’ve done incredible innovation from our Louisiana roots. We did something early on called Wicked Chicken that plays on what you might find on Bourbon Street—a little mystery, a little intrigue.

We’ve done a lot of boneless, portable foods that better suits your lifestyle today. We also brought seafood front and center. We’re a Gulf Coast company, so we should have seafood credibility.

AP: You’ve said Popeye’s wouldn’t serve salads, but have you considered other ways to offer lighter options?

Bachelder: We like to offer delicious food that our guests want, so we’re constantly testing innovative food items, fried and not fried. The challenge is, if you eat a lot of non-fried chicken at home—you have the dry, broiled piece of chicken—when you go out you want the more indulgent chicken.

AP: Are there disagreements with franchisees over what to add to the menu?

Bachelder: Every quarter, we have free-flowing ideation sessions. We come with 80 ideas or more ideas. Then there’s very quantitative testing.

A franchisee is an emotional, passionate entrepreneur, and we want their ideas. We just don’t want to do their goofy stuff. That’s one of the benefits of doing it in a hard-research and quantitative way.

For example, franchisees really like alligator bites. That is something that’s in Louisiana restaurants, so the franchisees said, let’s do alligator bites. And we say, well, let’s put it through the process.

And now, if we try to put one of our favorites out there, they’re like, no, no, no, no — there’s a metric, we can’t do that.

It governs both of us.

AP: How will the fast-food industry be different in five years?

Bachelder: I think the whole sector is moving toward quality food, which is something we’ve always stood for. In the remodeling of our system, we’ve really brought to life the heritage and quality of the food. We have spice jars up by the front counter with actual spices in them, actual red beans in them, actual rice, to celebrate the ingredients.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270498-popeyes-ceo-on-rivals-why-deep-fried-wins-on-menus/feed/0US Running Out of Room to Store Oil; Price Collapse Next?http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270515-us-running-out-of-room-to-store-oil-price-collapse-next/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270515-us-running-out-of-room-to-store-oil-price-collapse-next/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:33:51 +0000Associated Press]]>NEW YORK—The United States has so much crude that it is running out of places to put it, and that could drive oil and gasoline prices even lower in the coming months.

For the past seven weeks, the United States …

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NEW YORK—The United States has so much crude that it is running out of places to put it, and that could drive oil and gasoline prices even lower in the coming months.

The new oil being produced is light, sweet crude, which is a type many U.S. refineries are not designed to process.

For the past seven weeks, the United States has been producing and importing an average of 1 million more barrels of oil every day than it is consuming. That extra crude is flowing into storage tanks, especially at the country’s main trading hub in Cushing, Okla., pushing U.S. supplies to their highest point in at least 80 years, the Energy Department reported last week.

If this keeps up, storage tanks could approach their operational limits, known in the industry as “tank tops,” by mid-April and send the price of crude—and probably gasoline, too—plummeting.

“The fact of the matter is we are running out of storage capacity in the U.S.,” Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Citibank, said at a recent symposium at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Falling Prices

Morse has suggested oil could fall all the way to $20 a barrel from the current $50. At that rock-bottom price, oil companies, faced with mounting losses, would stop pumping oil until the glut eased. Gasoline prices would fall along with crude, though lower refinery production, because of seasonal factors and unexpected outages, could prevent a sharp decline.

The national average price of gasoline is $2.44 a gallon. That’s $1.02 cheaper than last year at this time, but up 37 cents over the past month.

Other analysts agree that crude is poised to fall sharply—if not all the way to $20—because it continues to flood into storage for a number of reasons:

U.S. oil production continues to rise. Companies are cutting back on new drilling, but that won’t reduce supplies until later this year.

The new oil being produced is light, sweet crude, which is a type many U.S. refineries are not designed to process. Oil companies can’t just get rid of it by sending it abroad, because crude exports are restricted by federal law.

Foreign oil continues to flow into the United States, both because of economic weakness in other countries and to feed refineries designed to process heavy, sour crude.

This is the slowest time of year for gasoline demand, so refiners typically reduce or stop production to perform maintenance. As refiners process less crude, supplies build up.

Oil investors are making money buying and storing oil because of the difference between the current price of oil and the price for delivery in far-off months. An investor can buy oil at $50 today and enter into a contract to sell it for $59 in December, locking in a profit even after paying for storage during those months.

Oil Tanks

The delivery point for most of the oil traded in the United States is Cushing, a city of about 8,000 people halfway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa at an intersection of several pipelines. The city is dotted with tanks that can, in theory, hold 85 million barrels of oil, according to the Energy Department, though some of those tanks are used for blending or feeding pipelines, not for storing oil.

The market data provider Genscape, which flies helicopters equipped with infrared cameras and other technology over Cushing twice a week to measure storage levels, estimates Cushing is two-thirds full.

Hillary Stevenson, who manages storage, pipeline, and refinery monitoring for Genscape, said Cushing could be full by mid-April. Supplies are increasing at “the highest rate we have ever seen at Cushing,” she said.

Full tanks—or super-low prices—are not a sure thing. New storage is under construction at Cushing, and there are large storage terminals near Houston, in St. James, La., and elsewhere around the country that will probably begin to take in more oil as prices fall far enough to cover the cost of transporting the oil.

Also, drillers are cutting back fast because oil prices have plummeted from $107 a barrel in June. And demand is showing signs of rising.

While the Energy Department reported another enormous rise in crude stocks last week, up 8.4 million barrels from the week earlier, it also reported that diesel and gasoline supplies fell more than expected. That leads some to conclude that demand for crude will soon pick up, easing the glut somewhat.

But many analysts believe oil prices will fall through the spring, before summer drivers start to relieve the glut.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270515-us-running-out-of-room-to-store-oil-price-collapse-next/feed/0Clinton Says There Was ‘Nothing Illegal or Improper’ About Using Personal Email While Serving as Secretary of Statehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270489-clinton-says-there-was-nothing-illegal-or-improper-about-using-personal-email-while-serving-as-secretary-of-state/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270489-clinton-says-there-was-nothing-illegal-or-improper-about-using-personal-email-while-serving-as-secretary-of-state/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:25:12 +0000Associated Press]]>WASHINGTON—Hillary Rodham Clinton used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state, rather than a government-issued email address, potentially hampering efforts to archive official government documents required by law.

Clinton’s office said nothing was illegal or improper …

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WASHINGTON—Hillary Rodham Clinton used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state, rather than a government-issued email address, potentially hampering efforts to archive official government documents required by law.

Clinton’s office said nothing was illegal or improper about her use of the non-government account and that she believed her business emails to State Department and other .gov accounts would be archived in accordance with government rules.

“Like secretaries of state before her, she used her own email account when engaging with any department officials,” Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said.

“For government business, she emailed them on their department accounts, with every expectation they would be retained. When the department asked former secretaries last year for help ensuring their emails were in fact retained, we immediately said ‘yes.'”

“Both the letter and spirit of the rules permitted State Department officials to use non-government email, as long as appropriate records were preserved,” he said.

For Clinton, the new developments, first reported by The New York Times, place a spotlight on her tenure in the Obama administration as she prepares to launch a widely expected 2016 presidential campaign that Republicans have already started to deride as a third Obama term.

They also come after recent examinations of the fundraising practices by the charitable foundation started by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Criticism

Republicans quickly pounced on Clinton’s use of the personal email account, arguing that she failed to comply with the law while serving in the State Department.

Kristy Campbell, a spokeswoman for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is considering a 2016 presidential campaign, said Clinton “should release her emails. Hopefully she hasn’t already destroyed them. Governor Bush believes transparency is a critical part of public service and of governing.” She noted that Bush recently released personal emails from his two terms as governor.

Last month Bush made available on a website more than 275,000 emails sent to and from his personal email account, on which he conducted all state business. The messages released were only those that pertained to state business; those covering politics and personal matters were not included.

Former technology executive Carly Fiorina, another potential GOP presidential candidate, said the report “once again raises serious questions as to Hillary Clinton’s definition of leadership. Does she believe that leadership means acting outside the law? Does she believe that leadership can exist without transparency?”

Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the agency asked former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Clinton last year for records that should be preserved.

In response to that request, Clinton provided emails from the personal account that she used during her time as the nation’s top diplomat in President Barack Obama’s first term from 2009 to 2013. However, she also said that the department has “long had access to a wide array” of Clinton’s records, including emails sent between her and officials with an official state.gov email address.

Among the messages Clinton provided were 300 that met the criteria for a request for relevant emails from the House Select Committee investigating the September 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomat mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Harf says Clinton’s successor, John Kerry, is the first secretary of state to primarily use an official state.gov email account and that the department is now updating its records preservation policies to bring them in line with current regulations. That includes regularly archiving all of Kerry’s emails.

Among the messages Clinton provided were 300 that met the criteria for a request for relevant emails from the House Select Committee investigating the September 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomat mission in Benghazi, Libya, Harf said. Those emails have been turned over to the committee, she added.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270489-clinton-says-there-was-nothing-illegal-or-improper-about-using-personal-email-while-serving-as-secretary-of-state/feed/0UK Extradites Vietnamese Man to Face US Terror Chargehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270444-uk-extradites-vietnamese-man-to-face-us-terror-charge/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270444-uk-extradites-vietnamese-man-to-face-us-terror-charge/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:20:32 +0000Associated Press]]>NEW YORK—A Vietnamese man extradited from the United Kingdom will be arraigned Wednesday on charges he provided material support to al-Qaida in Yemen after telling his wife he was going to Ireland, authorities said.

Minh Quang Pham, 32, made an …

]]>NEW YORK—A Vietnamese man extradited from the United Kingdom will be arraigned Wednesday on charges he provided material support to al-Qaida in Yemen after telling his wife he was going to Ireland, authorities said.

Minh Quang Pham, 32, made an initial appearance Monday in Manhattan federal court after arriving in the United States on Thursday. He was expected to enter a plea to a 2012 indictment that accuses him of traveling from the UK to Yemen in late 2010 and receiving terrorist training from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Messages to his lawyer, Steven Frankel, were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Pham could face a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison and a maximum of life is convicted of charges including conspiring to provide material support to a terror organization, accepting military-type training and using firearms.

Pham spent half a year in Yemen, pledging his support to high-level members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and vowing to wage jihad while he received military-style training, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a release.

According to court documents, Pham told his wife he was traveling from the UK, where he lived, to Ireland when he was actually going to Yemen, where al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is located. UK authorities arrested Pham at Heathrow International Airport when he returned.

The U.S. State Department designated al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as a terrorist organization in January 2010 after it claimed responsibility for attempted terrorist attacks against the U.S., authorities said.

They said the group claimed responsibility in 2009 for an attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound passenger plane from Europe and later claimed responsibility for an October 2010 plot to send bomb-laden packages on U.S.-bound cargo planes.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270444-uk-extradites-vietnamese-man-to-face-us-terror-charge/feed/0BlackBerry Offers New Phones but Turns Focus to Softwarehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270386-blackberry-offers-new-phones-but-turns-focus-to-software/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270386-blackberry-offers-new-phones-but-turns-focus-to-software/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:14:26 +0000Associated Press]]>BARCELONA, Spain—BlackBerry may be launching four new smartphones over the coming year, but the struggling company is staking its future on becoming a giant in software.

CEO John Chen said at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona on …

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BARCELONA, Spain—BlackBerry may be launching four new smartphones over the coming year, but the struggling company is staking its future on becoming a giant in software.

CEO John Chen said at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona on March 3 that since he took over a year and a half ago BlackBerry has undergone a “philosophical” shift away from merely making handsets.

“We are committed to making software as a business,” said Chen. “We are going to evolve.”

The company that once popularized handsets with full keyboards has had to reassess its goals since sales failed to keep up with other smartphones in recent years.

We are going to compete with Samsung and we are going to collaborate with Samsung., BlackBerry— John Chen, CEO

Though it presented its new BlackBerry Leap on Tuesday—a “low-to-mid” market phone that will go on sale in Europe in April and be followed by three more handsets—its focus was on software.

Software

In particular, it wants to make its more business-friendly applications, such as its messaging service, available to non-BlackBerry phones.

It will roll out over the next year the “BlackBerry Experience,” a set of three software packages crafted to improve security and communications for business and government customers. It also presented its Work Life software designed to allow companies to separate billing and communications on employees’ smartphones used for both private and business.

The Canadian smartphone maker once commanded 50 percent of the U.S. market, but has seen its share evaporate as consumers flock to devices made by Apple and those run on Google’s Android operating system, like the popular Samsung models.

Chen’s major move to transform BlackBerry came in November, when it separated its most successful applications from its devices and made them available for the operating systems of would-be competitors.

It has since struck new deals to provide software to Samsung.

Chen said BlackBerry will try and strike a balance.

“We are going to compete with Samsung and we are going to collaborate with Samsung,” Chen said. “We have a very small hardware percentage around the world today, so our strategy is to expand our server-available market by making it cross-platform. We can now have a business that spans 99 percent of the market.”

Hardware

Hardware sales still represent 73 percent of BlackBerry’s revenues, and Chen said his vision is that devices and software become “two pillars” of his business.

BlackBerry’s head of devices Ron Louks told The Associated Press that thumbs need not worry—BlackBerry was not beginning a long goodbye to its smartphones with keyboards.

“For us to be a great company we need balance between the hardware side and the software side, but we are obviously very invested in the hardware business and will continue to be,” Louks said.

Chen said BlackBerry is “stabilizing” financially, but did not disclose figures. “We are going to generate more revenue,” he said.

The Leap has a touch screen, a five-inch display and 25-hour battery.

Louks caused some commotion by waving another of the three new phones to come this year before hiding it in his jacket. He said it has a dual curve display with a sliding keyboard.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270386-blackberry-offers-new-phones-but-turns-focus-to-software/feed/0Magic is Coming to Appleton: Shen Yunhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270455-magic-is-coming-to-appleton-shen-yun/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270455-magic-is-coming-to-appleton-shen-yun/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:06:55 +0000Epoch Times]]>There must be something magical about Appleton, Wisconsin. Harry Houdini, perhaps the town’s most famous resident, however short-lived his time there, is still a name synonymous with illusion and magic. And lesser-known magicians including Houdini’s brother, Theodore Hardeen, and Bruce …]]>

There must be something magical about Appleton, Wisconsin. Harry Houdini, perhaps the town’s most famous resident, however short-lived his time there, is still a name synonymous with illusion and magic. And lesser-known magicians including Houdini’s brother, Theodore Hardeen, and Bruce Hetzler, have called Appleton home. Now on March 3 and 4 a new kind of magic is coming to Appleton’s Fox Cities Performing Arts Center—Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company.

New York-based Shen Yun tours the world bringing its depiction of traditional Chinese culture and values wherever it goes—with four companies touring simultaneously.

Through classical Chinese dance, folk dances, and a live orchestra comprised of both Western and Chinese instruments, the company brings to life 5,000 years of divinely inspired civilization. And does so magically, at least that is what audience members have said from just about everywhere the company has toured.

“In the soft moments, the quiet moments, and the energetic moments, you really are transported—it’s really beautiful,” she said.

Mr. Prentice Lennon, a renowned celebrity photographer in Hollywood, was impressed with what he experienced during the performance as well.

“It is a magical history tour,” Mr. Prentice exclaimed, “I thought the show was magical, I really did.”

Shen Yun uses a digital backdrop as a vehicle to bring together the scenes of Heaven, Earth, the dynasties and ethnic regions of ancient and contemporary China.

Across the globe in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Garry Brown saw Shen Yun on Feb. 27. The Professor Emeritus in Aerospace Engineering is now retired from Princeton University.

He felt the same way about the digitally animated backdrop.

“I thought the very clever thing was the way the screen portrayed a much bigger picture than you could portray with just the dancers. I thought that was really wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“It created a wonderful feeling, that there was something almost magical, mythical,” he said.

About the performance as a whole, he said: “This is very different from anything that I’ve ever seen. It’s wonderful, quite wonderful! Very, very inspiring … I think it’s such a rich culture and so beautiful, and has such wonderful values. It has been lost in the modern materialism that China is experiencing. So that must be a source of sadness to some Chinese people.”

Shen Yun was founded on a mission to revive authentic Chinese culture, a heritage nearly destroyed during decades of communist rule. The Chinese Communist Party made systematic efforts to stamp out the traditional beliefs of Chinese people which were rooted in Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

Veronique Charbonneau-Lefebvre, who saw the performance in Montreal this year, taught dance for three years at École de Ballet de Sept-Îles.

She said the performance was enriched by its spiritual aspects. “I think that is a reflection of the Chinese culture where there is a strong spiritual aspect and also a little magical, which was well represented by the dancers. Really, each piece was special and magical.”

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270455-magic-is-coming-to-appleton-shen-yun/feed/0The ISIS Threat to the Vatican and Pope Francis is Very Real, Security Chief Sayshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270398-the-isis-threat-to-the-vatican-and-pope-francis-is-very-real-security-chief-says/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270398-the-isis-threat-to-the-vatican-and-pope-francis-is-very-real-security-chief-says/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:04:56 +0000Jack Phillips, Epoch Times]]>ISIS is posing a very real and tangible threat to Pope Francis, a Vatican security official has said.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria released a video several weeks ago, showing the alleged beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians in …

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ISIS is posing a very real and tangible threat to Pope Francis, a Vatican security official has said.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria released a video several weeks ago, showing the alleged beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya. Toward the end of the video, a masked militant makes a threat against Rome, Italy and its Christians.

“The threat exists,” Vatican security chief, Domenico Giani, told Polizia Moderna, a state-run publication in Italy. “At the moment, I can say that we know of no plan for an attack against the Vatican or the Holy Father,” he added.

He noted there’s a “constantly high” level of attention directed at the pope, and he said ISIS isn’t the only threat. “Lone wolves” and “mentally disturbed” individuals pose the a big threat as well, he said.

And does the threat affect the daily work of the pontiff?

Pope Francis will not abandon the style of his pontificate due to the recent threats, Giani said. The pope is fully aware of the risk but will not “is not [compromise] the style of his pontificate, based on closeness to the people, that is, on personal contact with the greatest number of people possible.”

“We are the ones who have to adjust to him, and not vice versa,” Giani added. “We have to do everything we can so he can continue to carry out his ministry as he wants and believes he should.”

Last week, the Italian government went on high alert following the ISIS threats, which called Italy “the nation signed with the blood of the cross.” Four months ago, an ISIS magazine ran a cover photo that showed the terrorist group’s flag hanging over St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican with the text: “The failed crusade.”

Francis has had to deal with security concerns in the past, namely when he was the Buenos Aires archbishop, at the time known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The government asked him in 2009 to wear a bulletproof vest in response to anonymous reports saying a union leader was planning his assassination, according to CruxNow.

He only wore the bulletproof vest once.

And regarding the safety of Christians who visit one of Francis’ events, “I worry about it, truly,” Giani said, who also noted there’s not enough police officers who safeguard the Vatican. Currently, there’s only 130.

“Given the risks that we face, there should be more of us,” he said, according to CruxNow. He pointed to budget constraints and the Vatican’s austerity plan.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270398-the-isis-threat-to-the-vatican-and-pope-francis-is-very-real-security-chief-says/feed/0Facebook Adds Lifelines to Prevent Suicidehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270419-facebook-adds-lifelines-to-prevent-suicide/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270419-facebook-adds-lifelines-to-prevent-suicide/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:52:40 +0000University of Washington]]>In addition to vacation photos and cat videos, people also share details about their personal lives and feelings on Facebook—including occasional posts about despair and even thoughts of suicide.

As the world’s biggest social network, with more than 1.39 billion …

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In addition to vacation photos and cat videos, people also share details about their personal lives and feelings on Facebook—including occasional posts about despair and even thoughts of suicide.

As the world’s biggest social network, with more than 1.39 billion users, Facebook is uniquely able to provide online resources and support to help suicidal people.

That’s the goal of a new collaboration between Facebook and researchers at Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention, an organization based in the University of Washington’s School of Social Work.

Working with an organization called Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention and other mental health experts, Facebook enhanced its suite of tools to support suicidal people and tell those who see and report suicidal posts on Facebook how they can help.

How It Works

When someone sees a post that suggests its author might be considering suicide, they can click on a dropdown menu and report the post to Facebook.

That reporting activates a series of responses. The person who flags the post will see a screen with links that allow them to send a message to the potentially suicidal person, contact another Facebook friend for support, or connect with a trained professional at a suicide helpline for guidance.

Facebook will then review the reported post. If the poster is thought to be in distress, a series of screens will automatically launch when that person next logs onto Facebook, with suggestions for getting help.

The responses link to a number of positive options, including videos from Now Matters Now, an online program started by Forefront research scientist Ursula Whiteside that uses real-life accounts of people who have struggled with suicidal thoughts to provide research-based coping strategies.

If the author of a reported post is thought to be suicidal, a series of screens will launch to offer help. (Credit: Facebook)

‘Just Not Something We Talk About’

The tools aim to both direct suicidal people to resources and alternatives and also to guide concerned friends or family members through a situation most are simply not equipped to handle.

“Often, friends and family who are the observers in this situation don’t know what to do,” says Holly Hetherington, a Facebook content strategist working on the project.

“They’re concerned, but they’re worried about saying the wrong thing or somehow making it worse. Socially, mental illness and thoughts about suicide are just not something we talk about.”

Stephen Paul Miller knows that all too well. Now Forefront’s operations manager, Miller lost a friend and college classmate to suicide five years ago. One night, Miller noticed a Facebook post from his friend saying that things were too much, that he couldn’t take it anymore. Alarmed, Miller resolved to call his friend in the morning. He died that night.

“The thing that breaks my heart the most about this is that I think it was just episodic. I don’t think he wanted to die,” Miller says. “But I was not trained. I did not know what to do.”

For immediate, confidential help from a trained counselor for yourself or someone you know, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Including Survi

The initiative began after a summit Facebook hosted about a year ago to discuss how technology companies could most effectively combat suicide. Facebook was already working with researchers on promoting compassion and preventing online bullying, and wanted to do something similar around suicide prevention.

“We realized there’s a lot we don’t know. We are by no means experts in this space,” says Jennifer Guadagno, a Facebook researcher.

So Guadagno reached out to Jennifer Stuber, an associate professor of social work at University of Washington who started Forefront after her husband died by suicide in 2011.

Teams from Facebook and Forefront began working together last fall, starting with discussions that defined and framed the issue. The conversations included suicide attempt survivors from the Now Matters Now project, who were instrumental in helping Facebook understand the spectrum of suicidal thoughts and how language commonly used around suicide can be insensitive—for example, saying someone “commits” suicide, the same term used for carrying out a crime.

Knowing What To Do

Whiteside, who has herself struggled with suicidal thoughts, says when family or friends express fear or judgment to a suicidal person, they can unwittingly increase an already overwhelming sense of aloneness.

“People just don’t know what to do, and why would they?” she says. “As a society, we really need support in knowing how to respond to someone who’s suffering, and our work with Facebook is a first step.”

Stuber says Facebook has an opportunity to increase social media’s value as a force for good.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270419-facebook-adds-lifelines-to-prevent-suicide/feed/0House Ready to Pass ‘Clean’ Homeland Security Funding Billhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270437-house-ready-to-pass-clean-homeland-security-funding-bill/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270437-house-ready-to-pass-clean-homeland-security-funding-bill/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:45:15 +0000Associated Press]]>WASHINGTON—In a major victory for President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House overcame last-minute opposition from GOP critics on Tuesday and moved toward final passage of legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department without restrictions on immigration.

The bill’s approval was …

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WASHINGTON—In a major victory for President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House overcame last-minute opposition from GOP critics on Tuesday and moved toward final passage of legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department without restrictions on immigration.

The bill’s approval was assured after Republicans demanding the bill include constraints on Obama’s immigration policy were turned back on a test vote of 140-278.

Obama’s signature was assured on the measure, which cleared the Senate last week. Without it, short-term funding for the department would expire on Friday at midnight.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said he, too, opposes Obama’s policy directives that eased the threat of deportation for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally. Yet he also said the “security of the homeland is one of our highest priorities,” and added that Congress could continue to oppose the president without forcing a partial agency shutdown that loomed for Friday.

Not all opponents of the bill were ready to yield.

“If we’re not going to fight now, when are we going to fight?” asked Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.

The maneuvering on the House floor came after Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told members of his rank-and-file at a closed-door meeting that the time had come to concede defeat after a months-long struggle with the White House and Democrats.

“I am as outraged and frustrated as you at the lawless and unconstitutional actions of this president,” Boehner told the meeting, according to aides. “I believe this decision — considering where we are — is the right one for this team, and the right one for this country.”

He added, “Imagine if, God forbid, another terrorist attack hits the United States.”

A federal judge has blocked implementation of the president’s immigration policies, although the administration has appealed and a final result of the legal challenge is unknown.

Conservatives had demanded that the funding bill roll back Obama’s immigration directives from last fall that spared millions of immigrants from deportation. Democrats had insisted on legislation to fund the department, which shares responsibility for anti-terrorism operations, without any conditions.

The GOP leadership’s decision to bow to Democratic demands angered several conservatives.

“This is the signal of capitulation,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. “The mood of this thing is such that to bring it back from the abyss is very difficult.”

But more pragmatic Republicans welcomed Boehner’s move.

“Sanity is prevailing. I do give John Boehner credit,” said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

Passage of the stand-alone spending bill would seal the failure of a Republican strategy designed to make Homeland Security funding contingent on concessions from Obama. Controversy over the legislation has produced partisan gridlock in the first several weeks of the new Congress, though Republicans gained control of the Senate last fall and won more seats in the House than at any time in 70 years.

Even so, Democratic unity blocked passage in the Senate of House-passed legislation with the immigration provisions. By late last week, a split in House GOP ranks brought the department to the brink of a partial shutdown. That was averted when Congress approved a one-week funding bill that Obama signed into law only moments before a midnight Friday deadline.

House Republicans said that after months spent railing against Obama’s executive actions, which most Republicans view as an unconstitutional overreach, they had no more moves to make.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters that with Senate Democrats united to block the House GOP approach, “What direction do we have?”

Ever since the film of The Sound of Music was released 50 years ago, fans from around the world have flocked to Salzburg. The palaceSchloss Leopoldskron is inundated with musical fans. Though the real von Trapp family never resided

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Ever since the film of The Sound of Music was released 50 years ago, fans from around the world have flocked to Salzburg. The palaceSchloss Leopoldskron is inundated with musical fans. Though the real von Trapp family never resided there, a gazebo on the grounds was indeed used as a filming location. Replicas of the palace’s terrace and Venetian Room further established the connection between the lakeside palace and the musical adaptation of the von Trapp family’s story.

The palace is just one of a number of tourist sites in the area – fans also go to visit the Mirabell Gardens, where the seven von Trapp children sing Do Re Mi in the film, and Nonnberg Abbey, where the actual Maria Kutschera married Baron von Trapp in 1927.

So Austrian history and American musicals meld in Salzburg. This is no better illustrated than by an Austrian Christmas egg ornament featuring a hand-painted Julie Andrews in all her Maria splendour, ready to twirl through an alpine meadow.

Die Trapp Familie

The real-life aspiring nun/teacher Maria was an enterprising woman. Following her marriage to the former naval captain von Trapp (and the birth of three more von Trapps), she worked hard to create a public image for the Trapp Family Singers. The family, struggling financially, had begun touring through Europe as a singing group in 1935. They eventually emigrated to the United States and settled in Vermont.

The Original Sound of Music tour bus. (jenniferpoole, CC BY-SA)

Maria went on to publish five books chronicling her life and the family’s music tours. She sold the rights to her autobiography, which first inspired a West German film, Die Trapp Familie, and its sequel, Die Trapp Familie in Amerika. The Broadway team of songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with librettists Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, then adapted Maria’s memoirs as a vehicle for Broadway’s sweetheart Mary Martin, who starred as Maria opposite Austrian-American folk singer Theodore Bikel as Georg von Trapp.

As the Broadway run ended, the film adaptation was well under way. On the basis of her work in the as yet unreleased Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews was cast as Maria, opposite Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp. Though the cast and crew spent a relatively short period of time filming in Salzburg, their work ensured that the town would forever after be filled with the sound of tourists – especially from Asia and the US – though to very mixed reactions from locals.

Dismissed in Austria

Residents of Salzburg were far less familiar with the musical. It was widely dismissed as kitschy. Carl Philip von Maldeghem, the current artistic director of the Salzburg State Theatre, spent a year abroad in the United States in the 1980s and was surprised to see The Sound of Music on television there. He recently made it his mission to finally stage the musical in Salzburg.

As an American projection of Austrian history, the idea of a stage production in Salzburg was not popular with local politicians and the theatre’s subscribers. But von Maldeghem persevered. Hundreds of local children in dirndls and lederhosen turned up to audition for the roles of the von Trapp children. “They are a new generation of Austrians who felt it was part of their history,” von Maldeghem explained.

Casting these Austrian children was a major step in bringing the musical home to Salzburg. And Von Maldeghem had stressed the importance of carefully engaging with the local setting immediately outside the theatre:

Here the audience comes from skiing, from the lakes, with beauty in their mind. Depicting the same thing on stage would have been boring, and would have confirmed the American projection.

To avoid replicating Salzburg, set designer Court Watson created the Salzburg skyline but only in silhouette, framed by the forest.

The show was expected to last for a very limited run. But the Salzburg production has instead been regularly performed in German since its 2011 opening, with English surtitles provided for foreign spectators. Given the worldwide popularity of sing-a-long Sound of Music cinema screenings, the Salzburg production has even added a sing-a-long at the end of the stage musical. The musical had a mountain to climb in winning over locals, but the hills surrounding Salzburg now remain filled with the sound of this universally loved musical.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1269343-how-austrians-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-sound-of-music/feed/0How The Sahara Keeps The Amazon Rainforest Goinghttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270143-how-the-sahara-keeps-the-amazon-rainforest-going/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270143-how-the-sahara-keeps-the-amazon-rainforest-going/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:27:12 +0000Jeremy Hance, news.mongabay.com]]>Scientists have just uncovered an incredible link between the world’s largest desert (the Sahara) and its largest rainforest (the Amazon). New research published in Geophysical Research Letters theorizes that the Sahara Desert replenishes phosphorus in the Amazon rainforest via vast …]]>

Scientists have just uncovered an incredible link between the world’s largest desert (the Sahara) and its largest rainforest (the Amazon). New research published in Geophysical Research Letters theorizes that the Sahara Desert replenishes phosphorus in the Amazon rainforest via vast plumes of desert dust blowing over the Atlantic Ocean.

“This is a small world, and we’re all connected together,” noted lead author Hongbin Yu, with the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), run by the University of Maryland and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Although the richest spectacle of life on the planet, the Amazon rainforest is famous for its nutrient poor soils. Indeed, around 90 percent of the forest’s soils are low in phosphorous, which has long made intensive farming next-to-impossible in the region. Moreover, tens of thousand of tons of nitrogen wash away through river systems in the Amazon every year. So, how does the rainforest replenish its lost phosphorous?

The answer: dust.

“We know that dust is very important in many ways. It is an essential component of the Earth system. Dust will affect climate and, at the same time, climate change will affect dust,” said Yu.

Using data from a NASA satellite—the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO)—from 2007 to 2013, Yu and his team estimated for the first time just how much dust reaches the Amazon from the Sahara Desert. According to the team, 27.7 million tons of dust on average ends up in the Amazon from the Sahara in what is described as the world’s largest transfer of dust.

This is important because a tiny percentage of that dust—0.08 percent—is phosphorous, but just enough to make a big difference. Overall, the scientists estimate that the amount of phosphorus reaching the Amazon annually from the Sahara—22,000 tons—equals about how much the rainforest loses to rivers.

“This suggests that African dust may have important implication for maintaining the health of Amazon rainforests over the long term. Without the phosphorus input from African dust, the hydrological loss would greatly deplete the soil phosphorus reservoir over a time scale of decades or centuries and affect the health and productivity of the Amazon rainforest,” the researchers write in the paper, but they also caution that they still don’t know “the amount of dust needed to provide adequate phosphorus for maintaining the productivity of the Amazon rainforest.”

The scientists believe the most important source of phosphorous for the Amazon is dust whipped up from the Bodélé Depression in Chad. The frequent dust storms from this ancient lake bed contain massive amounts of dead microorganisms and, as such, are super-rich in phosphorus.

The researchers also found that the amount of dust reaching the Amazon from the Sahara was hugely variable during the seven years of research. They theorize that rainfall in the Sahel—a vast region of drylands just south of the Sahara—may be responsible for the variation, though they note that more longterm research is needed.

This article was written by Jeremy Hance, a contributing writer for news.mongabay.com. This article was republished with permission, original article here.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270143-how-the-sahara-keeps-the-amazon-rainforest-going/feed/0Brooklyn Nets Looking Like a 2015 Playoff Lock With Small Ball Lineuphttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270380-brooklyn-nets-looking-like-a-2015-playoff-lock-with-small-ball-lineup/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270380-brooklyn-nets-looking-like-a-2015-playoff-lock-with-small-ball-lineup/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:18:30 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>Six teams are battling for two playoff spots in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, but one team has risen above the rest since the All-Star break.

The Brooklyn Nets are beating opponents with their new small-ball lineups, similar to last season …

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Six teams are battling for two playoff spots in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, but one team has risen above the rest since the All-Star break.

The Brooklyn Nets are beating opponents with their new small-ball lineups, similar to last season with four shooters and one big man.

Brook Lopez or Mason Plumlee are on the floor at almost all times, but surrounding them are four players capable of shooting three-pointers, creating a potent attack that has propelled the Nets to a 4-2 record since the break, including a 110-108 win over the powerful Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

Since the break, Brooklyn has been attempting 87.3 shots a game, up from 81.3 shots a game, and making 41 shots a game, up from 36.3 a game, including about one more made three-pointer a game. The small-ball lineup has helped Brooklyn increase its points per game from 95.5 before the break to 105.3 after.

Coach Lionel Hollins has been mostly playing Thaddeus Young or Joe Johnson at the power forward position. Both are big enough to bang with bigger fours while creating mismatches on the offensive end due to their shooting ability and quickness. Young, acquired at the trade deadline for Kevin Garnett, made two huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter against Golden State to help his team to the win.

Hollins’ willingness to adjust the team’s playing style led him back to last season, when Jason Kidd often employed Paul Pierce at the four. Another effect of playing Young or Johnson at power forward–opening up another position to fill for guards and smaller forwards, leading to the emergence of young Markel Brown, and increased playing time for Alan Anderson, Deron Williams, and Jarrett Jack.

“It feels different. It’s a lot more fun to get out and be able to run, for the court to be spread,” Williams told North Jersey.

“It just opens up a lot of things for everybody And for me as a point guard, it’s definitely a luxury.”

Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young (30) runs back across the floor after scoring a three pointer against Dallas Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, in Dallas. The Nets won 104-94. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Monday, March 2, 2015, in New York. The Nets defeated the Warriors 110-108 on Jarrett’s jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining on the clock. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Despite spreading the floor more, the Nets are not taking more three-pointers than before the break. But out of about 20.5 three-pointers a game, they’re making 7.5, up from 6.6. The team is also getting much better shots overall, including more dunks and layups, as their shooting percentage has climbed to 41 percent from 36.3 percent.

Although the Nets are scoring more, though, the team has actually been assisting on fewer baskets than before. On the other hand, even though the lineups are smaller, the Nets are getting rebounding contributions from everyone, including Johnson and Brown.

The Nets are still far from a guarantee for one of the final East playoff spots, but their recent play has put them at the top of the six teams in contention. Detroit has a tough schedule remaining so could be counted out; Boston seems unlikely to continue its push; and Charlotte hasn’t been playing well lately. It could come down to the Nets, the Heat, and the Pacers for the last two spots. In any case, expect to see Brooklyn in the playoffs.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270380-brooklyn-nets-looking-like-a-2015-playoff-lock-with-small-ball-lineup/feed/0Creativity, Humanity of NHL GMs Makes Trade Deadline Dud Compellinghttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270396-creativity-humanity-of-nhl-gms-makes-trade-deadline-dud-compelling/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270396-creativity-humanity-of-nhl-gms-makes-trade-deadline-dud-compelling/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:17:34 +0000Joe Pack, Contributor]]>Though 2015’s NHL trade deadline day did not showcase the blockbuster deals of previous years, general managers were the stars showing sides of themselves not typically seen in the salary cap era.

As in past years, the blockbuster deals were …

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Though 2015’s NHL trade deadline day did not showcase the blockbuster deals of previous years, general managers were the stars showing sides of themselves not typically seen in the salary cap era.

As in past years, the blockbuster deals were made before the deadline day. But the David Clarkson for Nathan Horton trade on Feb. 26 was the biggest shocker for more than just the players and teams involved.

For all the warnings that this might be a quiet deadline day, given the good chance that the NHL’s salary cap is likely to stay around US$69 million next season, this trade showed the imagination and creativity that general managers can display when their backs are up against a wall.

Wheeling and Dealing

Clarkson’s contract was seemingly unmovable until the Blue Jackets came knocking with an offer to take Horton off their hands, a player with little chance of ever recovering from a back injury and one that will not affect the Leafs’ cap. Some might call the deal “cap circumvention” since the Leafs willingly take a player they know won’t be able to play while paying out his remaining $26 million contract—an act very few NHL clubs can afford.

Though the Jackets reportedly approached the Leafs with the deal, Leafs GM Dave Nonis received largely positive reviews and may have taken a step towards keeping his job over the summer. It’s along way until the next collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, but look for other precedents in this area and for a reaction to this kind of deal-making from the league.

High Prices

While many teams cannot afford a large payout like Horton’s, the prices for trades and rental players was nevertheless high.

The New York Rangers went all-in for their Stanley Cup drive by acquiring scoring defenceman Keith Yandle from the Arizona Coyotes for John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a 2015 second round pick, and a conditional first round pick in 2016.

Duclair, especially, is a steep price, having played on this year’s Canadian World Junior gold medal-winning team. He joins fellow Canadian prospect Max Domi in a Coyotes organization that can call the deal a win for their future—wherever that might be. The Rangers, meanwhile, are buyers and want to make it back to the Cup final and redeem their loss to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.

The biggest winners of the day may have been “losers” as the Buffalo Sabres and Coyotes rid their rosters of valuable assets in favor of a better chance at drafting a franchise player in the June entry draft. The Sabres traded Michal Neuvirth for the lesser Chad Johnson from the New York Islanders and Chris Stewart to the Minnesota Wild, while the Coyotes shipped Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek to the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues respectively.

The transparency and frequency with which teams have made these deals further exemplifies that there is little incentive for non-playoff teams to win once they’re out of the playoff picture. Even the club that finishes in last place has just a 20 percent chance of landing the first overall pick. Despite this, the Sabres and Coyotes have sold hope to their fans when winning is not an option.

Tough on Players

Welcome, less cynical surprises were the personal details behind the men who were exchanged in the past few days. Vermette found out about his move to Chicago minutes before he boarded a plane back to Arizona with his Coyotes teammates.

Those last hours must have been strange for a player to go through, though perhaps not as strange as Curtis Glencross who drove three hours to Toronto after finding out he was dealt to the Washington Capitals. He arrived during the second period and watched as his new team beat up on the Leafs 4–0. It also happened to be his wife’s birthday and the couple is expecting their third child in a month.

The effects trades have on families was no more apparent than when Jordan Leopold was sent to Minnesota, his hometown, from Columbus. Earlier last month, Leopold’s daughter Jordyn wrote a letter to the Blue Jackets asking that her father “please, please, please” be sent home to the Wild. Not only did she get her wish, but Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen tweeted out the Leopold letter for all to see. When an executive so openly acknowledges the personal side of the game, one knows it’s been an unusual deadline day and it’s not always just business.

The week leading up to and including trade deadline day put on centre stage some of the topics that may get the league and the players talking, namely trading players on long-term injured reserve and the issue of “tanking” for draft picks.

If fans and players thought it might be a quiet trade period due to a plateauing salary cap, they learned not to ever underestimate the creativity and the humanity of NHL executives.

Joe Pack is a freelance writer based in Toronto covering sports and culture. Find him on Twitter @JoePack

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270396-creativity-humanity-of-nhl-gms-makes-trade-deadline-dud-compelling/feed/0Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad for You?http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270338-is-cracking-your-knuckles-bad-for-you-and-cause-arthritis/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270338-is-cracking-your-knuckles-bad-for-you-and-cause-arthritis/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:03:11 +0000Jack Phillips, Epoch Times]]>Cracking your knuckles or other joints is pretty satisfying for some and annoying for others–but is it bad for you?

You might have heard the warnings and old wives’ tales: It leads to arthritis, it’ll make you have “fat fingers,” …

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Cracking your knuckles or other joints is pretty satisfying for some and annoying for others–but is it bad for you?

You might have heard the warnings and old wives’ tales: It leads to arthritis, it’ll make you have “fat fingers,” or popping certain joints in your neck and back might even lead to having a stroke or worse in the long-term.

The science behind the “popping” noise that joints make is not exactly well-understood, but there’s several theories as to why joints crack.

The joint liquid, more specifically, is called synovial fluid, and it works to lubricate the articular cartilage of synovial joints during movement–the same way motor oil in a car’s engine reduces friction. As you pop your joint, you stretch the joint capsule, and it then releases the gas, which forms bubbles, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

That’s why when you try to crack the same joint again, you have to wait for a bit because the gases have to come back to the synovial fluid.

The Institute notes there’s another theory about the sound is because the ligaments (the tissue that holds bones together) make the noises if they get tight rapidly as the joint moves. As it moves, the position of the tendon changes and moves out of place. As a result, one might hear a snapping sound as the tendon returns to its original position. Also, your ligaments might tighten as you move your joints, which is something that commonly occurs in your knee and ankle–making the cracking sound.

And while some people aren’t too fond of the sound of popping joints, research has shown that it’s neither harmful or beneficial.

“Cracking and popping of joints is usually normal and most of the time is nothing to be concerned about,” says the university. It doesn’t cause arthritis, either.

However, if you’re experiencing pain, you might want to stop doing it, and you should get it checked out.

That pain could mean there’s “underlying abnormalities of the structures of the joint, such as loose cartilage or injured ligaments. Some patients with arthritis (inflammation of joints, usually painful), bursitis, or tendinitis notice ‘cracking’ sounds due to the snapping of irregular, swollen tissues,” says WebMD.com in an explainer.

Also, swelling isn’t normal and needs a medical evaluation, says Johns Hopkins University. If your joint is getting locked or stuck when it pops, it might indicate a joint problem. And, if you’re losing motion in the joint, medical treatment is probably required.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270338-is-cracking-your-knuckles-bad-for-you-and-cause-arthritis/feed/0Nurse Who Survived Ebola to File Lawsuithttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270384-nurse-who-survived-ebola-to-file-lawsuit/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270384-nurse-who-survived-ebola-to-file-lawsuit/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:55:44 +0000Associated Press]]>Nina Pham, who was an intensive care unit nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, says after being told last fall that she would be treating a patient suspected of having Ebola, “the sum total” of information she was …]]>

Nina Pham, who was an intensive care unit nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, says after being told last fall that she would be treating a patient suspected of having Ebola, “the sum total” of information she was given to protect herself was “what her manager ‘Googled’ and printed out from the Internet.”

She says in her lawsuit that the day after getting that information, the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, tested positive for the disease. Duncan, who contracted Ebola in his native Liberia but started showing symptoms during a trip to the U.S., died at the hospital. Pham, 26, and another nurse who treated Duncan, Amber Vinson, contracted the disease but recovered.

In a statement released through her lawyers, Pham said she felt she had no choice but to sue the hospital’s parent company, Texas Health Resources. “I was hoping that THR would be more open and honest about everything that happened at the hospital, and the things they didn’t do that led to me getting infected with Ebola,” she said.

Wendell Watson, a company spokesman, said Texas Health Resources is optimistic that the matter can be resolved. He would not address allegations in the lawsuit about statements a hospital official made to Congress.

The lawsuit describes a chaotic situation at the hospital, where nurses scrambled to decide what kind of personal protective equipment to wear “without any formal guidance or training” from their supervisors. The lawsuit says Texas Health Resources “wholly failed to ensure that appropriate policies, procedures, and equipment were in place.”

The lawsuit describes a chaotic situation at the hospital, where nurses scrambled to decide what kind of personal protective equipment to wear

Clear drop cloths were taped to the ceiling and walls of the hallway to create a makeshift containment facility, nurses had to dispose of hazardous waste — a job they weren’t trained for — and hazardous material placed in the room next to Duncan’s was allowed to pile up, the lawsuit alleges.

On the first day Pham treated Duncan, when Ebola was suspected but not yet diagnosed, she wore a regular isolation gown, double gloves, a surgical mask with a plastic shield and double booties. She says her hair and neck were exposed and that she wasn’t given a change of clothes to wear home, so she went home in the scrubs she wore while treating Duncan.

After his diagnosis, nurses put on hazmat suits with double gloves and added “chemo gloves” and taped them to the suit. They also added a personal respirator they covered with a gown. These decisions, the lawsuit said, were made without any guidance or training by supervisors.

Pham says that after Duncan died, she was told that what she had worn was safe and that she had no risk of contracting Ebola. Confident in what hospital officials told her, she spent time with friends and family.

Pham also accuses Dr. Daniel Varga, the chief clinical officer and a senior executive vice president for Texas Health Resources, of making “numerous patently false statements” in testimony he gave to a congressional subcommittee. She says he falsely claimed that the hospital was trained to manage Ebola and that he misrepresented the type of protective equipment that nurses wore while caring for Duncan.

Varga testified that as the Ebola epidemic worsened over the summer, the hospital system began educating doctors, nurses and other staff on symptoms and risk factors. He said that included directing all hospitals to have a plan on how to care for patients with Ebola-like symptoms.

A hospital statement from Oct. 1, 2014, the day after Duncan tested positive, stated it had “a robust infection control system and our staff is trained and prepared to take care of patients with a variety of infectious diseases,” including Ebola.

Pham’s allegations echo those of other nurses. Nurse Briana Aguirre told NBC’s “Today” show in the fall that when their infectious disease department was asked about protocol, the response was that they didn’t know and would get back to them. National Nurses United, the nation’s largest nurse’s union, said in the fall that staff treated Duncan for days without the correct protective gear, that hazardous waste piled up and that protocols constantly changed.

In her lawsuit, Pham says she is worried about her long-term health and that she doubts she’ll ever return to being a critical care nurse again because of the stress and anxiety of the trauma she experienced and the “fear and stigma” that follow her.

Vinson’s attorney, Steve Malouf, said he had no comment on whether or not Vinson also planned to sue the hospital system.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270384-nurse-who-survived-ebola-to-file-lawsuit/feed/0Gordon Parks Exhibit Offers Intimate Glimpse Into Segregation-Era Life for African Americanshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270345-gordon-parks-exhibit-offers-intimate-glimpse-into-segregation-era-life-for-african-americans/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270345-gordon-parks-exhibit-offers-intimate-glimpse-into-segregation-era-life-for-african-americans/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:34:35 +0000Toni Pepe Dan, Boston University]]>In the spring of 1950, Gordon Parks, the first African-American photographer for Life Magazine, returned to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas. On assignment for the magazine, Parks photographed his middle school classmates, who were dispersed among Fort Scott and …]]>

In the spring of 1950, Gordon Parks, the first African-American photographer for Life Magazine, returned to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas. On assignment for the magazine, Parks photographed his middle school classmates, who were dispersed among Fort Scott and other Midwestern cities and towns.

The resulting images – while quite personal to Parks – offer a glimpse into a community and a set of experiences shared by many African Americans of his generation. Depicting the realities of discrimination without the veil of nostalgia, it’s a body of work that captures the resiliency of a community at a significant point in American history – just prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

But for reasons unknown, Life never published the series.

Now, the powerful exhibit of over 40 segregation-era images is on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

One of the first photographs confronting the viewer is of a weathered, middle-aged Caucasian man wearing overalls and a wide-brimmed hat. He’s standing, stone-faced, by the railroad tracks, and his eyes, though obscured by shadow, seem fixated on the viewer. He holds a large stop sign by his side, and his foot pivots out, as if to welcome us into the frame – but with only a shred of tolerance.

This photograph, in particular, sets the tone for the entire exhibit because it positions the viewer squarely in Parks’ shoes. He is an African-American man returning to his hometown – a place with a history of segregation, but a place he nonetheless calls home. In this photograph, Parks cleverly sets up the dichotomy of home as both a site of comfort and trauma.

Only one of Parks’ former classmates, Luella Jones, still resided in Fort Scott at the time of the shoot. In another image, Parks photographed her – along with her husband, Clarence Hill, and daughter, Shirley Jean – gathered around the family’s piano.

The warmth of the home’s interior light contrasts with the wet, cold environment of the town center shown in a subsequent image of Shirley and her boyfriend, James Lewis. In the photograph, the young couple waits outside a movie theater, where their full-priced tickets still only qualify them for seats in the back. It’s an image that underscores the prejudice that permeates the time period and place, and Parks’ portrayal of a strong African-American family unit – alongside the discrimination they encountered daily – is a striking juxtaposition.

Meanwhile, the intimacy of Parks’ portraits is palpable. Uncle James, who Parks noted as being his true mentor, is shown hunched over in quiet contemplation. A soft light falls over James and the still, bucolic scene around him. His hand grips the hook of his cane as he stares off frame with a gaze of certainty. Parks’ portrait of his blind, elderly uncle conveys the admiration that he had for this particular family member and steers the viewer away from any feelings of pity.

Furthermore, Parks – with his insider’s perspective – is able to transform banal moments into sacred ones. There’s an appreciation for ritual that’s pervasive throughout the collection. “Untitled, Kansas City, Missouri” depicts Peter Thompson, his wife Ada, and their 13-year-old daughter Marilyn Jane sitting around the dining room table enjoying a meal together. A light shines down from the high ceilings – the family glows – and an everyday moment is elevated to myth. The floral wallpaper, ornate rugs, and carved furnishings fill every inch of the frame and surround the family, who seem to find refuge from the decorative noise at the dinner table with one another.

In a different photograph, Parks captures another family meal. Fred and Mary Wells are shown saying grace sitting at a worn, small wooden table for two under a bare light bulb in their kitchenette-style apartment. The Wells’ home is stark compared to the Thompson’s, but it’s clear that Parks is drawing a parallel, emphasizing the intimacy of family and the notion of communion among his subjects.

Parks welcomes his viewers into his classmates’ warm inviting homes, but an atmosphere of emotional ambivalence exists throughout. In his portrait of the Wells couple, the two stand comfortably poised in front of their modest apartment. Their eyes confront the viewer exhibiting a secured, unified front.

Ultimately, Park’s exhaustive attempt to track down each of his classmates and tell their respective stories exemplifies a devotion to his subjects that he practiced throughout his career. While Parks would go on to photograph icons like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, it was a return home that allowed him to convey complex themes that are both personal and universal: a reverence for routine, the tension of segregation, the grind of time’s gears – and, with it, the inevitability of loss: of childhood, of family, and of friends.

Gordon Parks: Back To Fort Scott will be on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts until September 15 2015

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270345-gordon-parks-exhibit-offers-intimate-glimpse-into-segregation-era-life-for-african-americans/feed/0The Ordeal of a Latin American Political Prisonerhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1268223-the-ordeal-of-a-latin-american-political-prisoner/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1268223-the-ordeal-of-a-latin-american-political-prisoner/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:34:06 +0000Gary Feuerberg, Epoch Times]]>WASHINGTON—The sister of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López says her brother has been framed for homicides and violence for which he had no part. He is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Ramo Verde military prison outside of …]]>

WASHINGTON—The sister of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López says her brother has been framed for homicides and violence for which he had no part. He is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Ramo Verde military prison outside of Caracas, and is not allowed contact with other prisoners.

Before his arrest last year on Feb. 19, López was known for rallying hundreds of thousands of supporters. The 43-year-old Harvard graduate is a former mayor of a Caracas municipality.

Since his arrest, López has become a human rights cause célèbre, and one of Latin America’s most prominent political prisoners. Many Latin American observers say that his stature has grown as the leading opponent of the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro.

On Feb. 26, marking the first year anniversary of his incarceration, Adriana López defended her charismatic brother at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

Adopting the same self-assured and defiant tone of voice as her brother, López said, “I think the [Maduro] government fears anyone who has no fear … [Leopoldo López] is not afraid to confront the government,” she said.

I think the [Maduro] government fears anyone who has no fear— Adriana López, sister of Leopoldo López, Venezuelan political prisoner

She said that when she visited him three weeks ago, he was optimistic. “Adriana, I am well. I have been preparing myself for this for a long time,” he told her. He was referring to the time when he was persecuted under the late Hugo Chavez, whom Maduro replaced after Chavez’s death.

Cruelties

Held in a tiny cell, he is restricted to seeing only immediate family members and lawyers. While he is not physically being tortured as other political prisoners in Venezuela, he is subject to cruelty. Held in solitary confinement, he will go without seeing daylight for days. Adriana López said that the guards will throw excrement and urine on him and then turn off the water and electricity so that he can’t clean himself.

They know how much he wants to see his sister Adriana, and so visitation may be denied, she said.

Of course, he misses his two children, now ages 5 and 2. In a heartbreaking moment, his daughter once asked him, “Are you going to die in prison?”

Confrontational

López was charged with incitement to riot, arson, and public property damage. Government prosecutors say López was responsible for the riots and 43 deaths that occurred during February protests leading up to a big rally in downtown Caracas on Feb. 12, 2014.

For two weeks López had been exhorting Venezuelans to the streets in a campaign called “The Exit” or “The Solution”—a rough translation from Spanish.

He contends that he only promoted constitutional change, calling on Maduro to step down in response to the massive public discontent expressed in the peaceful protests.

Are you going to die in prison?— 5-year old daughter of Leopoldo López, Venezuelan political prisoner

“For Venezuelans, a change in leadership can be accomplished entirely within a constitutional and legal framework,” he wrote in a letter to the New York Times.

For one week after the Feb. 12 rally, he went into hiding. He turned himself over to authorities on Feb. 18, 2014 in front of thousands of his supporters, where he said:

“If my jailing serves to awaken a people, serves to awaken Venezuela … then it will be well worth the infamous imprisonment imposed upon me directly, with cowardice,” he shouted through a megaphone from atop a statue of 19th century Cuban independence hero Jose Marti in a Caracas plaza, according to CBS news.

López’s mass demonstrations bear a resemblance to the protests that erupted during the Arab Spring that began in Dec. 2010, when protesters took to the streets in Tunisia, followed by Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, and Syria in an effort to topple their authoritarian rulers.

Many from the more moderate opposition in Venezuela oppose these street tactics, because it distracts Venezuelans’ attention from economic problems, according to a Reuters report.

The Venezuelan national guard and government-sponsored vigilante groups attacked the largely unarmed protestors with live ammunition, water cannons, and tear gas, according to Ana Quintana, from the Heritage Foundation. “Journalists attempting to cover these crimes have been physically attacked, stripped of their visas, and even kidnapped,” she wrote.

López, the former mayor of a Caracas municipality, is more directly confrontational than the well-known Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost two close national elections, most recently to Maduro in April 2013.

“He is a man that is very clear in his positions. He does not define himself in the grey area,” his sister said.

Dozens of other mayors and former mayors, and members of the opposition have been arrested too. Most recently, on Feb. 19, “a group of men in black and gray camouflage, wearing bulletproof vests … and some wearing masks,” according to the Huffington Post, broke down the door of the office of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma. They seized the 59-year old mayor without explanation, according to his daughter Antonieta Ledezma, who appeared on Al Jazeera on Feb. 27.

Because no warrant for his arrest was shown, she said her dad had been kidnapped. He was charged with plotting a coup that included the United States to bring down the government, a charge that the State Department dismissed as “baseless and false.”

The Trial

Maduro personally called for López’ arrest and imprisonment, an indication that his trial is not likely to be impartial.

Amnesty International said the arrest was a “politically motivated attempt to silence dissent.”

Both the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly and the foreign minister accused López of being responsible for the violence during the anti-government protests. The following day a warrant was issued for his arrest.

These accusations, together with President Maduro’s pronouncement that López is guilty and will pay for his sins, are contrary to the presumption of innocence.

There is no evidence that López was even present when three protesters were killed on Feb. 12. In the Times letter, he said, “An analysis of video by the news organization Últimas Noticias determined that shots were fired from the direction of plainclothes military troops.”

He is a man that is very clear in his positions. He does not define himself in the grey area.— Adriana López, sister of Leopoldo López, Venezuelan political prisoner

Human rights attorney Jared Genser said at CSIS event that it was the security forces who opened fire, not the protesters or López, who was not present at the scene of anyone killed.

Genser, who works to free prisoners of conscience, is a member of the López defense team.

The prosecution is trying to make a case that López’s speeches incite the crowd with “subliminal messages,” he said.

The defense had 60 witnesses and some videos that showed that the rallies were peaceful. The judge threw out all but 2 of the witnesses and all the videos, according to Genser. The prosecution has been allowed about 100 witnesses.

It’s unlikely López will be released anytime soon. Since 2004, the government has carried out a political takeover of the judiciary, which “has largely ceased to function as an independent branch of government,” according to Human Rights Watch.

“In a country where the judiciary lacks independence, Leopoldo López’s future is in the hands of a judge who could be removed by a telegram without any explanation, as it has routinely occurred in the past. The decision on the future of the judge, in turn, is in the hands of judges of the Supreme Court, a body that has routinely upheld government policies,” states HRW.

Human Rights Icon

“Leopoldo López is a classic prisoner of conscience,” Genser said. He said the charges are “outrageous.”

López sees his case as one of resisting an oppressive political climate. One month after his detention, he wrote the aforementioned letter that appeared in the New York Times on March 25, in which he called attention to the government’s egregious human rights violations.

“Since student protests began on Feb. 4, more than 1,500 protesters have been detained and more than 50 have reported that they were tortured while in police custody. Over 30 people, including security forces and civilians, have died in the demonstrations. What started as a peaceful march against crime on a university campus has exposed the depth of this government’s criminalization of dissent.”

Further, López wrote, “The pro-government paramilitary groups, or “colectivos,” that have tried to silence the protests through violence and intimidation must be disarmed.”

The Venezuelan “crippled” economy has a 57 percent inflation rate and “a scarcity of basic goods unprecedented outside of wartime,” he wrote. And Venezuela suffers from an extraordinary high murder rate.

In a CNN interview on Feb. 17, 2010, López said that in 1998, Venezuela had 8,620 homicides; by 2009, it rose to 19,400.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1268223-the-ordeal-of-a-latin-american-political-prisoner/feed/0National Pancake Day 2015: Healthy Pancakes Recipe!http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270339-national-pancake-day-2015-healthy-pancakes-recipe/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270339-national-pancake-day-2015-healthy-pancakes-recipe/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:23:24 +0000Derek Henry, www.healingthebody.ca]]>Pancakes…an iconic staple at the North American breakfast table and restaurants everywhere. For many people, nothing beats a good flap jack with plenty of butter and maple syrup. However, the ingredients are often suspect for those trying to get healthy. …]]>

Pancakes…an iconic staple at the North American breakfast table and restaurants everywhere. For many people, nothing beats a good flap jack with plenty of butter and maple syrup. However, the ingredients are often suspect for those trying to get healthy. Learn how to make delicious healthy pancakes, without the highly questionable ingredients.

Purpose

Pancakes are often made of wheat and plenty of refined sugar. To avoid this bad food combination, we use a more digestible flour mix (gluten free), a good source of fibre, and some sugar regulating spices. In the end you have a delicious pancake that largely avoids the digestive issues, satisfies your craving for a filling and slightly sweet breakfast, and is more nutrient rich than their inferior counterparts. Enjoy them in moderation.

Consumption

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270339-national-pancake-day-2015-healthy-pancakes-recipe/feed/0Tony Parker Wants to Play in NBA Until He’s 38 Years Oldhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270285-tony-parker-wants-to-play-in-nba-until-hes-38-years-old/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270285-tony-parker-wants-to-play-in-nba-until-hes-38-years-old/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:54:55 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>Tony Parker, despite his struggles this season, plans to try to play in the NBA until he’s 38 years old.

Parker, 32, has had a rough season as the San Antonio Spurs try to win games to stay ahead of …

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Tony Parker, despite his struggles this season, plans to try to play in the NBA until he’s 38 years old.

Parker, 32, has had a rough season as the San Antonio Spurs try to win games to stay ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans.

Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News says that Parker’s plan is to play with the French team this summer, play at the EuroBasket in 2015, and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil before retiring from international play. Parker then wants to keep playing in the NBA until age 38, when he would retire.

That information comes after Parker told Yahoo that he “has not been the same” since he came back from injury this season. “It’s still bothering me,” he said. “Everybody knows. I am not going to use that as an excuse. I am just going to work it out until it gets better.”

Parker returned from injury perhaps sooner then he should have because the Spurs are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and in some danger of falling to the eighth seed of out of the race entirely.

We’re trying to go to the Finals for the third straight time. It’s not just repeat. It’s a third time to the Finals. It’s hard. We went to the conference finals the last three times, seven times in 13 years. …No one is satisfied with our team,” Parker said.

“We always try to push for better. If I were satisfied, I would have relaxed when I was 29.” A scout noted that Parker is one of the guys in the league that only rests if he’s actually hurt, unlike some of the players out there nowadays.

“I am just trying to work it through it,” Parker said. “Hopefully, it will be good pretty soon. At the same time, it’s tough because the whole team is struggling and I’m struggling. It’s a tough time right now.”

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270285-tony-parker-wants-to-play-in-nba-until-hes-38-years-old/feed/0Carrie Underwood Becomes a Mom, Gives Birth to a Boyhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270287-carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270287-carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:43:50 +0000Associated Press]]>NEW YORK—Carrie Underwood is a new mom, and like all proud parents, she’s showing him off in a photo.

The multiplatinum country singer gave birth to Isaiah Michael Fisher on Friday, and on Tuesday, she announced it to the world …

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NEW YORK—Carrie Underwood is a new mom, and like all proud parents, she’s showing him off in a photo.

The multiplatinum country singer gave birth to Isaiah Michael Fisher on Friday, and on Tuesday, she announced it to the world on Twitter. She posted a picture of Isaiah, showing his tiny hand and a bit of his mouth.

He’s the first child for Underwood, 31, and her husband, Mike Fisher, who plays for the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270287-carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/feed/0See the India Sky ‘Fireball’ That Has Freaked Out Localshttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270217-see-the-india-sky-fireball-that-freaked-out-locals-its-likely-just-a-meteor/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270217-see-the-india-sky-fireball-that-freaked-out-locals-its-likely-just-a-meteor/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:43:44 +0000Jack Phillips, Epoch Times]]>A fireball that appeared over the Indian state of Kerala has baffled local residents and scientists alike.

Indian government scientists have been working to discover the origin of the fireball.

Scientists have concluded that the fireball was likely caused by …

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A fireball that appeared over the Indian state of Kerala has baffled local residents and scientists alike.

Indian government scientists have been working to discover the origin of the fireball.

Scientists have concluded that the fireball was likely caused by a meteor, but some say it may have been created by falling satellite or rocket debris, according to DNA India.

“High specific gravity of the charred remains and presence of iron and nickel in them are the basic characteristic of a meteor, but we can reach a conclusion only after a battery of tests which will take at least a week or so to be completed,” Geological Survey of India scientist K.P. Praveen was quoted as saying by the website.

According to NDTV, the night sky fireball triggered panic in several districts in Kerala.

“Our primary assessments point to the possibility of a meteor. The objects we collected from the spot have high specific gravity. Though they are small in size, it has more than normal weight,” Sekhar Kuriakose, a scientist from the State Disaster Management Authority, was quoted by the broadcaster as saying.

Sekhar noted the objects had “brilliant streaks” because of the presence of iron and nickel.

“It is just a primary assessment and we cannot arrive at a concrete conclusion with this. We will hand over the collected samples to Geological Survey of India for further examination. We can arrive at a conclusion only after detailed examination,” he added.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270217-see-the-india-sky-fireball-that-freaked-out-locals-its-likely-just-a-meteor/feed/013 Technical Fouls, Three Players Ejected in Two NBA Games on Tuesday Night (+Videos)http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270258-13-technical-fouls-three-players-ejected-in-two-nba-games-on-tuesday-night-videos/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270258-13-technical-fouls-three-players-ejected-in-two-nba-games-on-tuesday-night-videos/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:39:09 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>A stunning 13 technical fouls were handed out across just two NBA games on Tuesday night–the Heat-Suns and Timberwolves-Clippers.

The Miami-Phoenix game was fraught with emotion, being the first time Goran Dragic and his former teammates faced off. The Suns, …

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A stunning 13 technical fouls were handed out across just two NBA games on Tuesday night–the Heat-Suns and Timberwolves-Clippers.

The Miami-Phoenix game was fraught with emotion, being the first time Goran Dragic and his former teammates faced off. The Suns, who lead the league in technical fouls, picked up four techs–one each for Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Alex Len, and Gerald Green. The Morris twins are first and sixth, respectively, in technical fouls this season.

Markieff, who has 13 technical fouls and 3 flagrant fouls, also received a flagrant-2 for “unnecessary and excessive” contact for a hard foul on Dragic in the open court. “It was a hard foul. It was a basketball play I thought, but the refs thought otherwise,” Markieff said after the game.

That set the stage for a dust up just several minutes later. Hassan Whiteside of the Heat dunked on Len and hit him with an elbow afterwards, whether on accident or purpose. Len then threw him to the ground, and Whiteside quickly got up and dove at Len.

Even though no punches were thrown, both players got ejected. “You’re not going to come into Miami and bully us,” said Whiteside.

Less than a minute later, Henry Walker fouled Marcus Morris pretty hard, earning a flagrant-1. Walker also had a technical in the game, but did not get tossed.

Over in Minneapolis, the Clippers–who have earned infamy for constantly complaining about officiating–and the Timberwolves got into things in a surprisingly heated game.

“I was walking to get to my spot on the free throw line and Flip was out on the court. I’m not sure why he was out on the court, but he was yelling and stuff. So I said to the ref, `Man, get him off the court.’ “And Flip turned to me and said, `Man, shut the … up,'” Redick told reporters after the game.

“And he said it like three times walking to my spot and I got a double technical. “All I said to (referee Josh Tiven) was, ‘I’m gonna get my money back.’ And he threw me out. If I’m going to get thrown out, man, at least say some stuff. Flip cusses me out and I say, ‘I’m gonna get my money back,’ and I get thrown out for that. Whatever.”

Garnett and Austin Rivers each got a technical when the pair went at it after Rivers bumped into Garnett, and the veteran demanded respect.

The Clippers as a team also got a technical.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270258-13-technical-fouls-three-players-ejected-in-two-nba-games-on-tuesday-night-videos/feed/0Exploring the Fall of the Berlin Wallhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270273-exploring-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270273-exploring-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:35:12 +0000Maureen Korp]]>In partnership with the Embassy of Germany, three exhibitions commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War are now on view at the Diefenbunker, a singularly appropriate exhibition site just 30 minutes from downtown …]]>

In partnership with the Embassy of Germany, three exhibitions commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War are now on view at the Diefenbunker, a singularly appropriate exhibition site just 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa.

Built at the start of the Cold War when Canada’s government was sure “the bomb” would drop, the bunker was intended as a fallout shelter for the prime minister of the day, top government officials, and a few others whose survival was deemed essential.

The bomb did not drop; the wall was taken down by the people of the two Berlins; and a few months later, the Cold War came to a fitting end. The two Germanys were reunited on Oct. 3, 1990. Today, the Diefenbunker is Canada’s Cold War Museum.

Dictatorship and Democracy

“Dictatorship and Democracy in the Age of Extremes” is a well-designed didactic display of 24 panels, each examining historically the when and why of what happened in a pithy, candid manner.

The panels are arranged chronologically, each with a short text of perhaps 300 words and six or seven first-rate documentary photographs. The photographs are very well chosen, be they of soldiers boarding ship or the family Volkswagen trundling down the road.

Hossack’s imagery quietly walks us along the wall that divided Berlin.

The first panel identifies the “original catastrophe of the 20th century”—i.e., the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo and the resultant deaths of 15 million soldiers and civilians in World War I, the first war to be fought “on an industrial scale.” The last panel celebrates the creation of the European Union.

The panels have been reprinted in a brochure format with French text and are available at no cost to the public. The exhibition is located on the 400 Level of the Diefenbunker.

German-Canadian Graffiti Jam

A graffiti panel by Arunski and Poet, graffiti artists from Berlin. Graffiti was ever-present on the west side of the Berlin Wall, displaying work by artists from all over the world. (Courtesy of Diefenbunker)

The bunker’s Bank of Canada Vault on the 100 Level displays the German-Canadian Graffiti Jam: The Bunker Reunion—two walls of rambunctious design trumpeting the breaking through of the Berlin wall.

Each wall was designed and painted one night last year by invited graffiti artists from Germany and Canada while an audience watched them work. Arunksi and Poet, the German artists, were born in West Berlin in 1973. The Canadian team consisted of Strike, born in Ottawa, and Zek, born in Montreal in 1979, along with Eagle (no birth date or place).

The German artists were chosen by the Embassy of Germany, the Canadians by Ottawa’s House PainT.

The Wall—Niederkirchner Strasse

The third exhibition is a haunting series of three panoramas by Canadian photographer Leslie Hossack. Titled “The Wall, Niederkirchner Strasse,” Hossack’s imagery quietly walks us along the wall that divided Berlin. At first sight, we see the wall is no more than crumbling concrete, its facade chipped away by a multitude of hands with simple tools.

The graffiti on the wall is both cheering and heartbreaking: here, a row of yellow dandelions; there, a heart. The slogans along this stretch of the wall are mostly written in English—Stop Racism; Fight Back; 1983; Save Our Planet; The Last Death.

With a second look, we see the armature of rebar holding the wall in place. The wall was built to stand no matter what, and to keep those on one side separate from those on the other. Nonetheless, the photographer has also included in her camera’s viewfinder holes punched through the wall to the other side.

To see what may be seen beyond the wall, over there on the other side, the viewer must look closely. In the first panorama we see a traffic sign on the corner of Niederkirchner Strasse. The sign itself is a warning to pedestrians: the crossing may be slippery. At the end of this section of the wall is a parking lot with a dumpster. Grass grows in the sidewalk cracks.

In the second panorama, through the hole in the wall, we can just make out a loading dock and a garbage bin. The third panorama gives us the far end of a wall. It runs right into the side of an elegant 19th century building. There is one hole here at this end of the wall. Through it, we can see how far back that building extends. Was it once an apartment house?

Pedestrian crossing, dumpster, and the built history of another time are all there to be seen on the other side of the wall along Niederkirchner Strasse. It is a poignant series, one bearing witness to the truth of those times then and now.

Several years ago, Hossack set herself the goal of photographing 20th century buildings and structures in order to understand the decisions made in those places. Hossack speaks of her work as “interpretive, not documentary” and of its themes as “inclusion and exclusion, change and continuity, longing and loss.” It is clear in “The Wall, Niederkirchner Strasse,” the photographer knows well what she is seeing.

The exhibit is on display at Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum, until March 31.

Maureen Korp, PhD, is an independent scholar, curator, and writer who lives in Ottawa. Author of many publications, she has lectured in Asia, Europe, and North America on the histories of art and religions. Email: miki.korp@gmail.com

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270273-exploring-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/feed/0Steve Francis Video: Former NBA Player Gets Chain Stolenhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270272-steve-francis-vine-video-former-nba-player-gets-chain-snatched/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270272-steve-francis-vine-video-former-nba-player-gets-chain-snatched/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:32:42 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>Former NBA player and University of Maryland star Steve Francis got his chain snatched and also got stomped on at a hip hop show in Houston over the weekend.

Francis, 38, was onstage with Sauce Twinz, a Houston rap duo, …

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Former NBA player and University of Maryland star Steve Francis got his chain snatched and also got stomped on at a hip hop show in Houston over the weekend.

Francis, 38, was onstage with Sauce Twinz, a Houston rap duo, when someone crept up behind him and tried to rip the gold chain off of his neck.

The chain didn’t pop, so Francis was dragged to the floor.

Sources told TMZ that the culprit eventually succeeded in removing the chain and then fled.

Police weren’t called to the scene and there’s no word about the thief as of yet.

Neither the rap duo nor Francis has responded to requests for comment.

Francis was the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft and played for the Rockets, Magic, and Knicks.

He was a three-time All-Star who averaged 18.1 points over his career, along with 6 assists and 5.6 rebounds.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270272-steve-francis-vine-video-former-nba-player-gets-chain-snatched/feed/0Kremlin Critic Wants International Probe Into Nemtsov Deathhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270244-kremlin-critic-wants-international-probe-into-nemtsov-death/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270244-kremlin-critic-wants-international-probe-into-nemtsov-death/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:19:15 +0000Associated Press]]>PARIS—A British investor who made millions in Russia before his lawyer was imprisoned and died is calling for an international investigation into the killing of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.

U.S.-born William Browder is suggesting a probe led by the …

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PARIS—A British investor who made millions in Russia before his lawyer was imprisoned and died is calling for an international investigation into the killing of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.

U.S.-born William Browder is suggesting a probe led by the United Nations, the Council of Europe or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It could be modeled after the investigation into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has called the killing of Nemtsov last week a “provocation,” and Russian authorities are investigating. But many accuse the Kremlin of involvement.

Based on his difficult experience in Russia, including a tax fraud conviction he says was politically driven, Browder argues that Russian authorities will never find Nemtsov’s real killers.

“We’re never going to get to the bottom of this if (the investigation) is left in the hands of the people who are at the top of the suspect list,” Browder told The Associated Press in Paris on Tuesday.

He said he wants to help in any investigation, because Nemtsov helped raise attention to the case of whistleblower lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky, who worked with Browder’s investment fund Hermitage Capital Management, uncovered what he said was massive collusion between organized crime and Russian government officials in 2008, and a year later died of untreated pancreatitis in prison at age 37. His death prompted widespread criticism from human rights activists.

Browder helped persuade U.S. Congress to impose sanctions against Russians accused of involvement in the case or of other human rights abuses.

Speaking as thousands of mourners attended Nemtsov’s funeral in Moscow, Browder said he expected the attack to unify Russia’s small opposition — and “terrify” Putin’s critics even more.

Many European companies want to resume trade with Russia and end sanctions imposed over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. But Browder warned Western businesses to stay away.

In his recent best-selling book “Red Notice,” he describes the thrill of making a fortune in Russia in the 1990s, but says it wasn’t worth the risk.

“Security is more important than money,” he said.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270244-kremlin-critic-wants-international-probe-into-nemtsov-death/feed/0Russell Westbrook Expected to Return From Injury on Wednesday Nighthttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270240-russell-westbrook-expected-to-return-from-injury-on-wednesday-night/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270240-russell-westbrook-expected-to-return-from-injury-on-wednesday-night/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:05:39 +0000Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times]]>Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had to get facial surgery due to an injury suffered on Friday night, but hopes to return after missing only one game.

Westbrook will likely return on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told …

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had to get facial surgery due to an injury suffered on Friday night, but hopes to return after missing only one game.

Westbrook will likely return on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told Yahoo on Tuesday.

There’s still a possibility that the star guard does not play in the game, but he will likely see at least some action against one of the worst teams in the league.

Oklahoma City can take no chances with the New Orleans Pelicans challenging for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Westbrook suffered a fractured cheekbone on Friday night and underwent surgery the next day.

Westbrook has been carrying the Thunder without fellow star Kevin Durant, who has missed a number of games this season including six straight games with a foot injury.

A recent study from Boston University and Abraxis LLC, found glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, present in honey. The study found that both conventional and organic honey contained glyphosate, specifically 62 percent of conventional honey and 45 percent of organic honey.

Two issues could be causing the contamination of organic honey. First, a single honey bee will travel six miles to find nectar so it’s nearly impossible to avoid all pesticides. Additionally, beekeepers use pesticides to control Varroa mites in beehives. The mites are a parasite that attacks honeybees and can cause disease. When organic beekeepers buy commercially available wax for their hives, it could be contaminated with pesticides. Even though organic beekeepers can’t directly treat their beehives with pesticides.

To survive a year, a single colony brings in about 250 pounds of nectar- an astounding weight for a small insect. It’s not as though individual flowers are generous with nectar, either. Most yield just the smallest of droplets. A standard jar of honey from the supermarket requires bees to make a million flower visits.

(Bob Peterson, CC BY 2.0)

The widespread use of pesticides like Roundup makes it’s even more likely that glyphosate will make its way into honey. It should be noted that countries where GM crops were permitted had higher levels of glyphosate in their honey.

Organic honey isn’t impossible. It’s just beyond of the ability of most beekeepers. Bee yards situated in isolated spots deep in the Adirondacks, or mountain valleys in sparsely-populated New Mexico, can probably pull off honey free of agrochemicals. Most beekeepers operate within a bee’s flight of pesticides, however, making “organic” honey an illusory proposition.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270186-study-even-organic-honey-contains-toxic-glyphosate/feed/0NKorea Denounces UN Criticism of Its Human Rights Recordhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270193-nkorea-denounces-un-criticism-of-its-human-rights-record/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270193-nkorea-denounces-un-criticism-of-its-human-rights-record/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:02:06 +0000Associated Press]]>BERLIN (AP)—North Korea’s foreign minister on Tuesday denounced criticism of Pyongyang’s human rights record, dismissing a U.N. report that concluded crimes against humanity were committed there and telling the top U.N. rights body that the United States is engaged in …]]>

BERLIN (AP)—North Korea’s foreign minister on Tuesday denounced criticism of Pyongyang’s human rights record, dismissing a U.N. report that concluded crimes against humanity were committed there and telling the top U.N. rights body that the United States is engaged in a “human rights racket.”

Last year’s report by a panel of U.N. experts detailed abuses including mass starvation and forced abortions. The panel, which interviewed hundreds of defectors, recommended that North Korea’s human rights situation be referred to the International Criminal Court.

The panel also sent a letter to leader Kim Jong Un warning he could be held accountable.

Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva that “hostile forces are only interested to hear from such scum of mankind as the so-called defectors.”

“The act of cooking up the report of the commission of inquiry based on lies of a few such criminals is itself a misdeed which is completely against the aspiration of the U.N. for civilization and rule of law,” Ri said.

North Korea has sought to use recent backtracking by prominent defector Shin Dong-hyuk on details of his life in the North’s prison system to discredit the entire U.N. report. However, the U.N. official in charge of investigating human rights violations in North Korea says he stands by its findings of widespread abuses.

Ri argued that “the core testimonies that became the basis of the report … were proven to be false recently” and called for resolutions based on the report to be revoked immediately.

Pursuing human rights issues “is the stereotyped method of the U.S. … to smear the countries disobedient to it,” Ri asserted, adding that Washington has “started to desperately cling to the anti-(North Korea) human rights racket, particularly since the last year.”

Earlier Tuesday, Ri told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that annual U.S.-South Korean military drills launched this week “are unprecedentedly provocative in nature and have especially high possibility of sparking off a war.” The allies say the drills are purely defensive.

“It’s so surreal, it doesn’t even seem real,” Thomas told Basketball Insiders of wearing a Celtics jersey. “I’ve been in purple …

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Isaiah Thomas says that it’s crazy playing for the Boston Celtics following the recent trade from the Phoenix Suns.

“It’s so surreal, it doesn’t even seem real,” Thomas told Basketball Insiders of wearing a Celtics jersey. “I’ve been in purple since college – from UDub (Washington) to Sacramento to Phoenix. Now, wearing the all green Celtics jersey is just so crazy. It’s so legendary and there’s so much history behind it.

“And the fans in Boston, whether it’s on social media or in person, they’ve shown me so much love and the market is so much bigger. Man, everything about it is crazy. It’s really a basketball city.”

Thomas was surprisingly sent from the Suns as Phoenix completely shifted its strategy, also shipping out Goran Dragic and Tyler Ennis and bringing in Brandon Knight.

Thomas, 26, signed a four-year, $27 million contract with the Suns in the offseason after starting his career in Sacramento. The contract is viewed as one of the most team-friendly in the league for a point guard of Thomas’s caliber, since the cap will rise so much in two years.

Thomas admitted he was blindsided by the trade, being informed by teammate Brandon Wright on the team bus they were on that was about to take players to the airport for the Suns game against Minnesota.

But Thomas is optimistic about the move, especially because he’s joining such a storied franchise and has childhood friend Avery Bradley by his side. Plus, Boston has a legitimate shot of making the playoffs.

“I got even more excited [about the trade] because all I want to do is make the playoffs. I started thinking, ‘Man, we got a realistic chance of making the playoffs – this year and for years to come because the East is so wide open,'” Thomas said.

He has been trading tips with rookie Marcus Smart, who currently starts at point guard. Thomas is in a sixth man role, averaging 21.8 points off the bench in six games so far. Thomas has been advising Smart on some offensive maneuvers while gleaning defensive tips from him.

Boston and general manager Danny Ainge have been trying to acquire Thomas for quite a while, and have now finally got him. And the guard is pleased.

“I think we can be really good,” Thomas said. “We’re young right now and learning. We have a great, young head coach in Brad Stevens and a great coaching staff, and then I feel like everybody in the organization – from Danny Ainge down – knows how to build championship teams. Making the playoffs this season is the goal, and I’m excited for the future. Hopefully I can be here for a while.”

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270206-isaiah-thomas-its-surreal-playing-for-boston-celtics/feed/0See Villarrica Volcano in Chile Erupt, Illuminating the Night Skyhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270185-see-volcano-in-chile-erupt-illuminating-the-night-sky/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270185-see-volcano-in-chile-erupt-illuminating-the-night-sky/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:37:49 +0000Jack Phillips, Epoch Times]]>A volcano has erupted in southern Chile on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of locals in the area. The Villarrica volcano, which is one of the most active in South America, erupted at approximately 3 a.m. local time, Chilean …]]>

A volcano has erupted in southern Chile on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of locals in the area. The Villarrica volcano, which is one of the most active in South America, erupted at approximately 3 a.m. local time, Chilean officials said. Photos showed the volcano shooting flames into the sky.

The volcano is located approximately 400 miles south of the capital, Santiago. It’s located above the city of Pucon, which has about 22,000 residents.

Picture of the Villarrica volcano, located near Villarrica 1200 km from Santiago, in southern Chile, which began erupting on March 3, 2015 forcing the evacuation of some 3,000 people in nearby villages. (Ariel Marinkovic/AFP/Getty Images)

Picture of the Villarrica volcano, located near Villarrica 1200 km from Santiago, in southern Chile. (Ariel Marinkovic/AFP/Getty Images)

(Ariel Marinkovic/AFP/Getty Images)

“I’ve never seen a volcano erupt and it was spewing lava and ash hundreds of meters into the air. Lightning was striking down at the volcano from the ash cloud that formed from the eruption.”

The Guardian reported that government planes attempted to fly over the crater to gather data during the 20-minute-long eruption.

Officials are worried the lava and heat from the eruption could melt nearby glaciers and snow, which may cause mudslides. The Rio Turbio river was said to have risen about 15 feet, said the paper.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270185-see-volcano-in-chile-erupt-illuminating-the-night-sky/feed/0MH17 Next of Kin Finally View Wreckage of Downed Flighthttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270151-mh17-next-of-kin-finally-view-wreckage-of-downed-flight/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270151-mh17-next-of-kin-finally-view-wreckage-of-downed-flight/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:24:58 +0000Associated Press]]>GILZE-RIJEN AIR BASE, Netherlands—The relatives of those killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine visited a Dutch air base Tuesday to view the wreckage of the plane.

For almost all of them, it was the first …

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GILZE-RIJEN AIR BASE, Netherlands—The relatives of those killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine visited a Dutch air base Tuesday to view the wreckage of the plane.

For almost all of them, it was the first chance to see the twisted and charred wreckage that lay for months in the fields of war-torn eastern Ukraine after the plane plunged to the ground July 17, most likely after being hit by a missile. All 298 passengers and crew on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed.

Parts of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are displayed in a hangar at Gilze-Rijen air base, Netherlands, March 3. The plane was brought down over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and Dutch investigators are still probing the cause of the crash that killed all 298 people on board. March 3, 2015. (AP/Peter Dejong)

The wreckage was brought back to the Netherlands, where civil and criminal investigations are underway to establish the cause of the disaster and attempt to prosecute those responsible.

Family members who viewed the wreckage at the Gilze-Rijen military air base in the southern Netherlands didn’t speak to the media Tuesday. More family members were to visit later this week, some 500 people in all.

The wreckage, spread across three hangars, included wings, wheels, parts of the fuselage, and overhead luggage bins. Some of it was scorched black by fire, while some pieces of the plane’s thin metal body were scratched, twisted, and torn.

Not visible to the media were parts of the plane that investigators said last year appeared “to indicate that the aircraft was penetrated by a large number of high-energy objects from outside the aircraft.”

Experts will soon begin piecing together parts of the plane to help investigators assess the damage and definitively establish the cause, said Sara Vernooij, a spokeswoman for the Dutch Safety Board, which is leading the civilian probe. She said the board’s final report is expected “after the summer.”

A photographer and cameraman take photos of parts of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, displayed in a hangar at Gilze-Rijen air base, Netherlands. The plane was brought down over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and Dutch investigators are still probing the cause of the crash that killed all 298 people on board. Tuesday, March 3, 2015. (AP/Peter Dejong)

National Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Wim de Bruin said the criminal investigation is “of an unprecedented scale” and will take at least this year to complete.

Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son, Bryce, and his girlfriend, Daisy Oehlers, were on board the stricken flight, will visit the wreckage Saturday.

“It brings it very close to home,” she said. “It is where they spent their last hours.”

For some relatives, viewing the wreckage is just too hard. Yasmine Calehr, the grandmother of two brothers who died on MH17, lives in the United States and decided not to go see the wreckage.

“I … could not bear the sight of it,” she said in an email to The Associated Press.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270151-mh17-next-of-kin-finally-view-wreckage-of-downed-flight/feed/0Women With Endometriosis Need Support, Not Judgementhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270107-women-with-endometriosis-need-support-not-judgement/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270107-women-with-endometriosis-need-support-not-judgement/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:49:01 +0000Kate Young, Monash University, Jane Fisher, Monash University and Maggie Kirkman, Monash University]]>Known for years as the “career woman’s disease” based on the idea that women without children develop disease in their reproductive organs, endometriosis is a painful condition thought to affect one in ten women worldwide.

The condition occurs …

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Known for years as the “career woman’s disease” based on the idea that women without children develop disease in their reproductive organs, endometriosis is a painful condition thought to affect one in ten women worldwide.

The condition occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (that is, the endometrium) grows outside the uterus. These tissues implant in and form lesions on organs such as the ovaries, bowel and bladder. The condition can only be definitively diagnosed through surgery and because people often don’t believe the symptoms being reported by women, diagnosis is often delayed.

There’s no cure and the cause of the condition is unknown. Treatments include hormonal therapy to inhibit growth of the disease and surgery to remove the lesions, but these often provide only short-term relief. And they have significant side effects, such as loss of bone density and the formation of scar tissue that can cause organs to fuse together.

There’s no cure and the cause of the condition is unknown.

In the absence of a cure and effective long-term treatment, we need to turn our attention to how doctors and loved ones can provide care and support to women with endometriosis.

Living With Endometriosis

In a systematic review of studies we published late last year, we found the condition affects all areas of women’s lives. All the studies we looked at used qualitative research methods to examine women’s experiences of endometriosis. This kind of research, which involves interviews and focus groups, is useful for capturing experiences that numbers and statistics cannot.

Women spoke about the benefits of “taking charge” of the condition. They educated themselves about it and tried to destigmatise discussion of gynaecological health with their family, friends and intimate partners.

Many took it upon themselves to manage symptoms with whatever resources they had. Some changed their diet, for instance, while others re-arranged their work and social commitments.

Women’s accounts of their condition showed that the way endometriosis was acknowledged by other people, such as their doctors, intimate partners and employers, could influence their experience of it. This could be positive if, for instance, partners educated themselves about the condition and helped manage it.

Or negative if, say, family members refused to acknowledge the illness was real and not “just” bad period pain. And when little support was given, that made managing symptoms a bigger burden.

Economics of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an expensive disease. One of the factors contributing to its cost is the delay in diagnosis, which takes an average of five and a half years. In the meantime, women are often subjected to unnecessary investigations and treatments, all of which cost money. Then there’s the cost of the surgery required for diagnosis, and further surgical treatment.

In our research, women highlighted the adverse impact of endometriosis on their ability to work. They spoke of the difficulty of performing certain tasks when under the effects of strong pain killers.

With symptoms such as intense pelvic pain during menstruation and at other times, heavy menstrual bleeding and bowel and bladder problems, including cyclic diarrhoea and constipation, it’s not surprising that some women with endometriosis find it difficult to stay in paid employment.

Because of the symptoms, some women with endometriosis find it difficult to stay in paid employment.

So although health-care costs are substantial, income loss from this chronic – and, for some, disabling – condition is estimated at almost twice as much. There’s little published Australian data about the cost of the average annual loss of productivity. Calculations would need to cover both absenteeism and reduced productivity when at work.

And many women feel uncomfortable about having to explain a gynaecological condition to employers, particularly male managers.

The Right Support

The accounts in our review show there are things that can be done to accommodate symptoms and support women’s economic participation. Women spoke of the need for increased flexibility in the workplace, such as the option of working from home and the ability to arrange hours to suit medical appointments.

Our review also identified techniques clinical practitioners could use to facilitate better support for women with endometriosis from those around them. They could offer letters for employers, for instance, suggesting flexible workplace practices would enable women to fulfil the demands of their jobs as well as manage the condition.

For some women, sex is painful some of the time and clinicians could also offer to discuss the effect of endometriosis on the women’s sex life. Our review found few women reported their doctor asking about the effect of endometriosis on their intimate relationships and some were embarrassed to bring it up themselves.

While the idea of modifying social practices to improve the health and well-being of women with endometriosis may not have the glamour of a new drug or imaging technique, these are affordable, timely measures that women with the condition have identified as valuable.

Research into finding a cure or effective long-term treatment for endometriosis is important, but it shouldn’t be our only goal. Rather, we should work together to create an environment that fosters women’s agency in the face of this chronic illness.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270107-women-with-endometriosis-need-support-not-judgement/feed/0South African Firefighters Battle Wildfire for a Third Dayhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270133-south-african-firefighters-battle-wildfire-for-a-third-day/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270133-south-african-firefighters-battle-wildfire-for-a-third-day/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:45:06 +0000Associated Press]]>JOHANNESBURG—A wildfire burned for a third day around Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday, injuring a firefighter as it caused an explosion at a lodge, an emergency services spokeswoman said.

At first light, helicopters began dropping water onto the flames, …

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JOHANNESBURG—A wildfire burned for a third day around Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday, injuring a firefighter as it caused an explosion at a lodge, an emergency services spokeswoman said.

At first light, helicopters began dropping water onto the flames, spokeswoman Liezl Moodie said.

“He is stable and will be released probably by Friday,” Moodie said of the firefighter injured at the beach lodge.

No civilians have been injured, and no deaths have been reported, although five homes have been destroyed since the fire began, Moodie said.

A helicopter water bombs fire in the Tokai Forest near Cape Town, South Africa. A wildfire continues to burn across the city’s southern peninsula Tuesday, March 3, 2015 after breaking out Sunday with firefighting re-enforcements being flown in to assist with battling the blaze (AP /Mark Wessels)

About 150 firefighters are struggling to bring the wildfire under control, made worse by sweltering summer temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

“We are humbled by the dedication shown by these brave men and women and welcome reports of rain on Wednesday,” the Hout Bay Civic Association, a community organization of residents affected by the fire, said in a statement.

The provincial government is planning to bring in 250 extra firefighters from other parts of the country, the South African Press Association reported. Thousands of acres of plants were also destroyed as the fire ripped through a national park.

The wildfire started on Sunday and was briefly brought under control, but a bigger fire started early on Monday morning, said the press association.

Kuala Lumpur Kepong, also known as KLK, has been targeted by environmentalists for years over its plantation development practices. Last December the company announced a sustainability policy that committed it to no longer clear forests and peatlands for new plantations and establish protocols for dealing with local communities and workers. But unlike some of the other deforestation policies established by palm oil majors, the commitment didn’t extend to third party suppliers, meaning that KLK’s palm oil could still potentially be linked to deforestation, labor abuse, and social conflict.

The new report, published today, aims to ratchet up pressure on KLK to address that gap. Targeting KLK’s investors and financiers, it presents two scenarios under which (1) KLK loses customers to other palm oil companies due it its failure to develop a stronger sourcing policy, and (2) KLK loses its membership in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a body that sets eco-certification standards for palm oil, triggering a 30 percent drop in sales. Under those scenarios, Chain Reaction Research projects significant impacts on KLK’s bottom line.

The research finds that only a minority of KLK’s profit comes via materials sourced from third party suppliers. Therefore cleaning up the riskiest part of its business shouldn’t be overly burdensome and could be financially rewarding, says the report.

“The vast majority—about 70 percent—of the palm oil products that KLK sells to its customers are derived from raw materials that come from third-party suppliers, which are not publicly disclosed and may include significant environmental and human rights risks,” said Chain Reaction Research in a statement. “Yet that is not how KLK generates most of its profit: the revenue generation from KLK’s own palm oil plantations and crude palm oil mills accounted for 76 percent of KLK’s total pre-tax profits in 2014. This business model means that KLK has the opportunity to rapidly address the serious risks in its supply chain by reforming its operations while eliminating its irresponsible third-party suppliers.”

The report points out a number of ongoing supply chain “risks” for KLK, including deforestation in Indonesian Borneo and social conflict in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

“KLK should mitigate these risks by providing transparency and by taking immediate action to eliminate deforestation and human rights violations from its supply chain,” said Albert ten Kate of Aidenvironment, one of the Chain Reaction Research partners, in a statement. “This could also make KLK more profitable by securing and expanding the company’s access to a rapidly changing market.”

“KLK needs to focus on fixing the serious risks in its own operations where it earns the vast majority of its profits,” added Jan Willem van Gelder of Profundo, another of the Chain Reaction Research partners. “There is no reason for it to be exposing itself to even more risk through non-transparent palm oil it introduces into its supply chain, which is not even generating the lion’s share its revenue.”

This article was written by Rhett A. Butler, the head administrator for news.mongabay.com. This article was republished with permission, original article here.

]]>http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1270106-malaysian-palm-oil-company-at-risk-from-poor-sustainability/feed/0Forest Management Still A Problem for Malaysiahttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1268717-forest-management-still-a-problem-for-malaysia/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1268717-forest-management-still-a-problem-for-malaysia/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:11:32 +0000Ethan Harfenist, news.mongabay.com]]>Two international NGOs have called out Malaysia in recent months over the country’s widespread illegal logging. Malaysia has been accused of not doing enough to protect its diminishing forests and thwart the illicit timber trade, particularly in Sarawak, the site …]]>

Two international NGOs have called out Malaysia in recent months over the country’s widespread illegal logging. Malaysia has been accused of not doing enough to protect its diminishing forests and thwart the illicit timber trade, particularly in Sarawak, the site of the country’s worst deforestation. In reports issued recently, the organizations claim lack of governmental oversight, endemic corruption and limited transparency have allowed Malaysia’s forests to be plundered by the private sector.

In its report, Global Witness specifically calls out Shin Yang and Samling, two of Malaysia’s biggest timber companies. Both are significant suppliers of timber products to Japan.

Much of Sarawak’s forest has been impacted by human activity. According to Global Forest Watch, data collected by NASA satellites indicate there were more than 25,000 FORMA alerts from 2013 to 2015. FORMA alerts are issued for areas that have likely probabilities of tree cover loss, whether from deforestation, harvesting of tree plantations, or other causes. Click to enlarge.

The report claims that Shin Yang is cutting down the equivalent of 40 soccer fields of intact rainforest per day, while Samling is “rapidly expanding its destructive logging” in forest claimed by the Penan, an indigenous group native to Sarawak that has suffered greatly from their lands’ rampant destruction.

Attempts by mongabay.com to reach both companies about the claims made in the report were unsuccessful.

The report also slammed several Japanese businesses involved in the Malaysian timber market, but noted that some companies have told Global Witness that they would “assess the operations of [their] Sarawak suppliers.”

Global Witness recommends Japan follow the examples set by the United States, the European Union and Australia, and ensure that the wood it sources is sustainably and legally harvested.

“The 2020 Tokyo Olympics provides an opportunity for Japan to show leadership and steer its construction industry in a new and more sustainable direction that will have benefits at home and abroad,” Global Witness said. “If standard industry practices continue, showcase Olympic construction projects are at risk of using timber sourced from highly destructive logging operations in Sarawak.”

Paradise lost?

Chatham House, an independent policy institute, noted in their own recent report that while Malaysia has made more progress in tackling the illegal timber trade than countries such as Cameroon — where an estimated half of all timber production is through the informal sector — other peers, including neighboring Indonesia, have gone to greater lengths to curb illegal logging.

“It is disappointing how little progress Malaysia and Cameroon have made in tackling illegal logging, which exacerbates deforestation, climate change and poverty,” Chatham House Senior Research Fellow Alison Hoare said in a statement.

She told Reuters, “In Indonesia this agenda has become closely linked with the government trying to reduce its carbon emissions and its deforestation (as part of the) whole climate change issue which it has been giving a lot of priority to.”

While a recent study claimed that a 2010 moratorium prohibiting district governments from handing out concession licenses lowered greenhouse gas emissions anywhere from 1 to 2.7 percent from 2011-2015, it must be noted that Indonesia’s deforestation rate has increased inrecent years. Furthermore, Indonesia recently disbanded its REDD+ agency, which has cast doubt on the country’s commitment to combatting climate change.

Still, Chatham House found that the Malaysian government’s response to illegal logging was “relatively good.”

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan specifically has been lauded for his commitment to solving the state’s illegal logging woes. Last November, the chief admitted that Sarawak’s logging sector is “corrupt” and issued a warning to Malaysia’s six largest timber companies to clean up their acts or face consequences.

In January, WWF-Malaysia delivered a statement to mongabay.com commending Sarawak’s commitment to dealing with illegal logging.

“WWF-Malaysia is glad to see that the current Chief Minister [Tan Sri Adenan] has given such high priority to ensure Sarawak’s rich biodiversity, natural resources and heritage are well protected, conserved and managed,” the organization wrote. “We support the Chief Minister’s effort in this and will assist the Sarawak government in addressing the illegal logging problems.”

Hoare also commended Adenan’s comments, but said that real action on his end remains to be seen. “I think that the Chief Minister’s statements are very encouraging, as is the apparent increase in enforcement against illegal logging,” she told mongabay.com. “However, time will tell as to whether he is willing and able to address the fundamental problems the state’s forest sector, which have been based on a corrupt system.”

Chatham House urged Malaysia to commit to a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU, something that has been on the negotiating table since 2007. It added that the country must do more to fight corruption and ensure transparency in forest-related decisions, especially in regard to Malaysia’s indigenous peoples.

This article was written by Ethan Harfenist, a correspondent writer for news.mongabay.com. This article is republished with permission, original article here. This is the first part in a series of two articles addressing the logging in Malaysia.

In our rapidly changing world, trying to process news and other information that’s constantly bombarding us, at an ever-increasing rate, is often nothing short of overwhelming. And while it might seem …

In our rapidly changing world, trying to process news and other information that’s constantly bombarding us, at an ever-increasing rate, is often nothing short of overwhelming. And while it might seem like too much to handle at times, there exist alternate methods of learning that can help you stay informed without risking information overload.

One such method is known as “hyperlearning,” which involves teaching your brain how to receive and process information much more rapidly and efficiently than normal. Author and life coach David Rainoshek is a passionate advocate of this unique learning system, which he says has helped him tremendously in keeping up with this fast-paced age.

The amazing techniques he’s learned over the past three decades, which have allowed him to create in-depth books and programs like There is a Cure for Diabetes and “The Juice Feasting Program,” are outlined extensively in his latest program HyperLearning: A Revolutionary Approach.

Hyperlearning maximizes what the brain is fully capable of doing (Shutterstock)

In it, Rainoshek leads his students on a journey of self-discovery, helping them realize a potential that many people still don’t realize exists within them to acquire and maintain knowledge at an accelerated pace. The program is highly beneficial for anyone who loves to learn and wants to keep up with the latest in health, for instance, but who also feels deluged by it.

“For the first time in human history, the sum total of all human knowledge, all peoples, finest achievements, experiences, cultures, traditions, histories, economies, ecologies, technologies, perspectives, wisdom, and ways of being — everything that makes us human — is now being put on the table and available to us, often just a Google search away,” he explains.

“This next-level access and interconnection is absolutely unprecedented… nothing like it has ever happened in all of human history, and the implications are exhilarating and astounding.”

Give Your Brain a Major Boost With Advanced Hyperlearning Techniques

With this information onslaught comes the sobering realization that the human brain, unless adequately trained and disciplined, simply can’t take it all in if operating in a state of mediocrity. This is what makes hyperlearning so essential — it maximizes what the brain is fully capable of doing, but what many people’s brains are never primed to accomplish.

In order to achieve a high-level ability to “co-create,” a concept that Rainoshek describes as humanity’s “higher purpose,” individuals must embrace the hyperlearning techniques that Rainoshek contends are vital for reaching an elevated state of compassion, care and creativity.

“The problems we face, and the opportunities that await us, can only be met with next-level thinking and creative cooperation on a global scale,” he says. “And this means taking everyone, and everything, into account as we take this next evolutionary step worldwide.”

Rainoshek offers an absolute guarantee that his hyperlearning course will help you clear brain fog, learn how to read several books a day in minutes rather than hours, learn how to halt and even reverse mental aging, and gain a competitive advantage mentally over even the super-rich and highly educated.

“HyperLearning represents a quantum leap forward in the way you will learn, and what is possible when your mind and spirit are simultaneously at their peak potential,” he says.